Part of Eastbourne town centre was cordoned off today as winds of up to 100mph caused severe damage to buildings.

Worst hit was Eastbourne railway station, where a £1.1 million improvement scheme completed last year was damaged.

Gale-force winds toppled part of a clock tower on the roof of the building, sending bricks crashing to the pavement and road below.

Sections of the station's new roof, comprising 65,000 sq ft of glass, were also damaged.

Police were called in to seal off the area to protect pedestrians and motorists.

No trains were allowed to leave the usually busy station throughout the day, while passengers arriving on limited services were escorted out of the station by staff.

A spokesman for rail operator Connex said: "There is considerable damage to the building due to the high winds but at this stage it is difficult to say what the full extent is.

"We have closed the station as a precaution and all services have been cancelled. We can only apologise to our customers and we hope services will begin to return to normal tomorrow."

A police cordon was set up in Terminus Road, some 300 yards from the damaged station.

Gary Banks, 19, was one of many commuters finding another journey disrupted.

He said: "It just seems like one thing after another with the trains at the moment but I guess you can't do much about an act of God."

A number of other buildings were damaged by strong winds.

Superdrug in Terminus Road was forced to close as staff mopped up water.

A spokeswoman said high winds had damaged the roof.