The death toll rose to nine last night in one of the worst weeks of carnage in history on Sussex roads.

Three teenagers died on Wednesday evening when their Nissan Micra and another car collided as they made their way to the cinema.

And yesterday a woman was killed when her car came off the road and hit a tree. On Saturday a horror smash left five teenagers dead.

And in another accident last night, five people travelling in a car in Rake, near Midhurst, were badly hurt in a collision with three other vehicles.

The crash happened at 8.30pm outside The Sun Inn, London Road. All five were taken to a hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire.

A spokeswoman for the Sussex Ambulance Service said: "We have had a run of very nasty road traffic accidents which unfortunately has led to nine lives being lost within the last week.

"I can't think of a time when we have had this many in such a short period of time. We sympathise with the families of those involved."

Wednesday's crash involving the Nissan happened on the A27 at Crocker Hill at the junction with Nyton Road at East Hampnett, near Fontwell, at about 8.50pm.

Debris was strewn across the road and witnesses described the scene as "carnage".

The driver, 18-year-old Steve Bernard, from Pine Road in Winton, Bournemouth, and a 19-year-old man were declared dead at the scene. A 19-year-old woman died later in hospital.

All had been studying at Chichester University and were travelling to the cinema when the crash happened.

Two other passengers, a young man and woman, received serious injuries and were taken to St Richard's Hospital in Chichester.

The driver of the other car, a 48-year-old man from Eastleigh, Hampshire, suffered serious injuries.

It is believed one of the cars had been turning off the bypass into Nyton Road between Arundel and Chichester.

Emergency services arrived within minutes and cordoned off the road. A tarpaulin was thrown over the cars as rescue crews cleared the scene.

Steve Bernard's father, Tony Bernard, his mum Sue and his brother Jack, 13, paid tribute to the up-and-coming footballer yesterday.

Mr Bernard said: "He was a wonderful lad. I don't think he had any enemies in the whole world. Everyone seemed to really love him. He had so much promise. He was going to become a PE teacher."

Steve Bernard played for Christchurch FC semi pro since the age of 16 and won the club's young player of the year award two seasons ago. Mick Ryan, director of football for the club, said: "He had everything ahead of him and there was nobody that didn't like him."

The smash was followed by a third fatal collision yesterday, when a woman died on the A27 at Hammerpot near Worthing.

Her car came off the road on the eastbound carriageway and collided with a tree shortly before 2pm. The road surface was wet at the time of the accident.

An ambulance from Littlehampton and paramedics from Worthing attended but the woman, who was the sole occupant of the car, was found to have suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Saturday's crash resulted in the death of five teenagers, aged 14 to 17 after a stolen car crashed into a wall in St Leonards.

The Rover Metro was being followed by a police vehicle and the crash is being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

The victims were Kelly Goring, 17, Danielle Martin, 16, Lee Morgan, 14, Daniel Carwardine, 16, and Barrie Mackay, 15 - all from Hastings and St Leonards.

They were travelling in the blue Metro when it crashed into a lamp-post and walls at 1.42am on Saturday in Battle Road, St Leonards.

Calls have been made for an early independent report to be published into the crash.

IPCC investigators have met the victims' families to explain the process of their investigation.

Inquests into all five deaths have been opened and adjourned by East Sussex coroner Alan Craze.