Mid Sussex commuters faced travel trauma today after roads were blocked by floods, fallen trees and debris.

A night of stormy weather also left some residents fearing a second round of flooding in two weeks.

The usually busy A273 between Hassocks and Burgess Hill was closed in both directions early today. Parts of the A23 between Crawley and Brighton were flooded.

And the delays on the A23 were made worse by an accident north of the A272 junction at Bolney on the northbound lane and by a car breakdown on the northbound lane at Handcross Hill.

Houses in Burgess Hill, flooded two weeks ago, were sandbagged and under threat again. Rain turned part of St Johns Park, only ten yards from the houses in Lower Church Road, into a lake and water was gushing into the street.

Residents of Hickmans Lane in Lindfield were also watching water levels, sandbags by their doors.

At The Brow in Burgess Hill, most of the road near the police station was flooded and part of Church Road was under water this morning.

The rain forced the closure of the new Lindfield Primary School.

There was also severe flooding on the M23 between Gatwick and the M25, making driving dangerous.

And the severe weather threatened to wipe out the last of the autumn colours at famous gardens such as Wakehurst Place at Ardingly and Sheffield Park Gardens at Sheffield Park, near Haywards Heath.

The north of the county escaped relatively lightly. Firefighters dealt with flooding at the Japanese school Rikkyo in Guildford Road, Horsham, and in the boiler room at Warnham Manor House, Warnham, which is divided into apartments.

Crawley firefighters were called to several incidents of flooding during the morning.

They pumped out a house and garage in Gratton Drive, Pound Hill, and sandbagged a house on the corner of Ifield Green, Ifield.

They also attended a call to a power cable which was knocked over by a tree on Forest Road, Colgate, Horsham, The road was closed while Seeboard engineers made the cable safe.

An elderly man was trapped in his car in a flood at Tinsley Lane, Crawley, but was rescued by a member of the public.

Another driver was also rescued from a car in Bycroft Way, Three Bridges.

In Horsham a couple were rescued from a flood on the A272 Horsham to Billingshurst road when their car was towed to safety by a farmer on a tractor.

The town's firefighters were called to floods at the Old Queens Head pub, Bucks Green, and in Robin Hood Lane.

At Gatwick more than 20 flights were diverted last night to Stansted and Manchester because of strong crosswinds.

An airport spokesman said some flights were still being diverted this morning and there would be a knock-on effect with delayed flights throughout the day.

He advised passengers to turn up for their flights but to check with their airline for delays.

In Three Bridges, three motorists stranded in their car had to be rescued by firefighters.

To add to the misery, an accident on the M25 at Leatherhead, Surrey, this morning led to the closure of both sides of the motorway, resulting in the closure of the M23 at Gatwick.

The M23 was closed northbound most of the morning because of an accident on the M25.

Commuters from Brighton were being diverted from the A23 at Crawley and faced either turning back or making their way to London on minor roads, many of which were flooded and covered in debris.

Some desperate airline passengers stuck in traffic jams on the M23 got out and walked with heavy suitcases along the hard shoulder.

A spokesman said: "Those on buses and in taxis simply got out and walked. They were desperate to get to the airport in time for their flight. They looked exhausted when they arrived."

The lanes were opened again by 3pm but traffic was only allowed onto eastbound lanes of the M25.