Prince Edward met the victims of flooding in Sussex today to express the royal family's concern for their plight.

The Earl of Wessex toured the streets of Lewes to see for himself the devastation caused to homes and businesses.

He spoke of the "nightmare" now facing hundreds of people and praised the community spirit as the massive clean-up operation continued.

The Prince met traders in the low-lying Cliffe area of the castle town now facing months of hard work to rebuild their livelihoods shattered when the River Ouse burst its banks on Thursday.

The Prince was deputising for the Queen, who is currently in Italy. She was said by Buckingham Palace to be "deeply concerned" for the welfare of those hit by the floods.

He began his visit to Sussex by visiting the operational nerve-centre set up to co-ordinate the emergency services at the height of the flooding crisis.

He was greeted by the Assistant Chief Constable of Sussex, Nigel Yeo, at force headquarters in Lewes.

The Prince saw aerial photographs of the town and surrounding farmland and pictures of the emergency services at work.

He was escorted to Cliffe High Street, home to dozens of independent traders and residents whose properties were swamped by up to 6ft of water.

Marion Johnson ran one of the town's rest centres at the town hall set up to accommodate some of the 1,000 people displaced from their homes.

She said: "The Prince's visit will raise the feelings of the people here. It will raise morale by helping people realise that people outside East Sussex care too."

Doreen Cook, who runs Cliffe Dry Cleaners, said her business had been severely hit. The Prince said to her: "Is this your dry cleaners? It's not so dry now."

Mrs Cook said: "It's nice to see Prince Edward here and it shows the Royal Family cares."

The prince said: "It is very difficult to be able to offer people comfort at this stage. I can only express my deepest sympathy. The wonderful thing is the spirit of everyone. Everyone is sticking together. I just hope it continues."

In Uckfield, a man washed away during the floods told Prince Edward he called on God to save his life as he clung to a tree.

Father of three Vernon Jay Bishop, 54, was caught in a raging torrent as he tried to escape his flooded jewellery shop.

Mr Bishop, who told the prince: "I expected death by then but what was painful was the thought of never seeing my three kids again. After that I called on God and had a little prayer, saying to myself 'If you're going to save me, save me now'."

The Prince left Uckfield to visit farmers in Isfield and see the extent of the flooding to several hundred acres of farmland and the devastation to livestock.