Parts of Sussex were underwater today after the county was lashed overnight by high winds and driving rain.

Residents in Burgess Hill were forced to stack sandbags around their homes after water levels rose dangerously high and roads to the west of town were closed due to flooding.

Jane Murray Way was shut to traffic in the early hours of the morning because of flooding and there were reports of high winds bringing down tree branches across the district.

Police received reports of flooding along Albert Road during the night and in Hassocks. The B2115 at Warninglid and the road Cockhaise Farm, Montswood Lane, Lindfield were both impassable.

The Environment Agency put a flood alert on the River Ouse at Barcombe and warned householders to be prepared in case they were flooded out.

A spokeswoman said: "The rainfall for the last few days means the ground is now soaked with water. It can't soak up any more and it is just running off into the rivers.

"Having said that, should the rain pass through as we are hoping the levels should drop naturally. But we are keeping an eye on the weather."

Storms and high winds were forecast to batter the countryside for the rest of the morning but die off in the afternoon.

Lighter wind and showers have been predicted for the next few days.

Elsewhere in the county, strong gales felled trees and knocked out power supplies.

The Environment Agency also issued a flood warning for the River Cuckmere at Hellingly.

Some areas suffered 30mm of rainfall over the past 24 hours.

In Hove, a fallen tree blocked the road in The Upper Drive, Hove, causing traffic congestion. Another tree took out an inside lane on the A24 in Findon.

Seventy houses in Upper Beeding lost power when an overhead cable was damaged at 7am this morning.

Dover coastguards were baffled by large planks of timber which started appearing ashore yesterday as far apart as Hastings and Folkestone.

Watch manager Rob Gradon said: "We've no idea where they came from, but we expect them to continue appearing throughout the day."

He said the strong winds were making the seas very rough, and causing ships to slow down as much as possible.

The scheduled ferry service from Newhaven to Dieppe at 8am this morning had to be cancelled due to winds of up to 50 knots.

Neither of the two Transmanche ferries had yet returned from trips to Dieppe yesterday because of concerns about the stormy conditions.

Karl Davenport, at the Transmanche Freight Office in Newhaven, said: "The weather over in Dieppe is not too bad, but here it has been probably the worst we've seen for quite a while."

He said they hoped to run this evening's 5pm service from Newhaven as planned.

Anyone worried about flooding should call the flood helpline on 0845 9881188 or visit the Environment Agency web site, www.environment-agency.gov.uk