A small West Sussex village is in mourning after a husband and wife were killed in a car crash on New Year's Eve.

The couple, from Findon, died when their car veered across the central reservation of the busy A24 and collided with an oncoming car whose driver suffered whiplash and shock.

They died at the scene of the accident, which happened shortly after 2pm on the A24 outside Findon, just minutes from their home, south of the Washington roundabout.

They leave a daughter who was trying to inform other relatives before the couple's identity is released.

A friend of the pair, who were both retired, said: "They were a lovely couple. The village is in mourning about what has happened."

Sergeant Jo Jones, of Shoreham Road Policing Unit, said: "We are desperately looking for witnesses who were travelling southbound and may have seen what happened."

The A24 was closed for more than four hours as emergency crews worked at the scene.

In another incident, a woman had to be cut free from the wreckage of her car after a head-on crash.

The crash happened on the A280 at Long Furlong, near Findon, shortly before 11pm yesterday.

The road was closed for almost two hours as fire crews used specialist cutting gear to free the trapped driver.

She was taken to Worthing Hospital suffering from serious injuries to her legs. The male driver of the other car suffered minor injuries.