Children are risking their lives by dashing through six lanes of rush-hour traffic to get to school after the subway they normally use was closed.

The underpass beneath the busy A270 has been closed since Saturday because of flooding.

Worried parents say it is only a matter of time before there is a tragedy and are calling for a temporary safe crossing to be introduced.

Mother's taking their children to Coldean Primary School peered into the underpass at the bottom of Coldean Lane, Brighton, yesterday to see the area still waist-deep in freezing water.

As traffic sped past, they held their children's hands tightly and raced across the four carriageways and two filter lanes, dodging the traffic. The closure also affects children heading from Coldean to Falmer School.

Chris Jacomb of Egginton Road, North Moulsecoomb, said: "You take your life in your hands every time you cross the road."

Mrs Jacomb and her children, Dylan, six and Rhiannon, three, need to cross the road to catch a bus to get them to Downs Infant School, Ditchling Road.

She said that on Monday morning, unaware of the flooding, the children bounded down the steps of the underpass and into the icy water.

Zoe Kibble of Goring Court, North Moulsecoomb, has been crossing the road with friends to get daughter Chloe, three, safely to Coldean Nursery.

She said: "The road at the moment is a death trap. The children only have to let go of your hand for two seconds and they could be hit.

"One of my friends has a buggy and a toddler. She can't risk crossing the road unless there is someone there to help her.

"It's the children that cross on their own that I worry about, as well as the old people who get off the buses and are scared to cross the road.

Residents say the underpass has been flooded before and are angry that the situation has been allowed to continue.

Barbara Castleton, of Newick Road, North Moulsecoomb, said: "I wouldn't dream of crossing the road that way normally but there is no option."

Julie Ansell, also of Newick Road, said: "This is exactly what happened two years ago - the underpass filled to the roof.

"People have been asking for a covered footbridge across the road for years but nothing has been done. This situation is very, very, dangerous and needs to be sorted out quickly."

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: "The reason for the flooding of the subway is the exceptionally high level of the water table following all the wet weather over the last few weeks.

"Because it is ground water it is impossible for us to pump it out. Thankfully the water table is now falling and we hope the subway will be usable again in the next couple of days.

"There is a pelican crossing on the Lewes Road just over a quarter of a mile south of Coldean Lane.

"We recognise the inconvenience the flooding of the subway is causing but would urge pedestrians to use this crossing rather than attempt to cross at the Coldean Lane junction."

Sussex Police said the crossing was a matter for the council.