Campaigners are celebrating saving a rail link from Sussex to London.

The direct link between Hastings, Gatwick and London Victoria was to have been scrapped along with the Gatwick Express to Victoria.

The plans were announced by the Department for Transport in February.

But transport minister Derek Twigg has agreed to keep a limited service going.

Under Mr Twigg's new proposal, direct trains to London will run from Hastings at 6am, 7am and 8am and from Gatwick to Hastings at 6pm and 7pm. At other times connecting services will go from Eastbourne or Polegate.

Michael Foster, MP for Hastings and Rye, said: "It is a pity when any rail service is withdrawn and, of course, to achieve our ambition for the metro link across Hastings we need more trains, not fewer.

"I am grateful to the minister having at least listened and conceded in part. However, the campaign is not over."

Jeremy Birch, leader of Hastings Borough Council, said: "This is welcome but doesn't mean the campaign is won. We want to keep things as they are so I'm disappointed daytime services will still be lost."

He said good transport links were essential to the regeneration of Hastings and St Leonards.

He said: "When I met rail operators recently they said that, as demand increases, they would consider improving the quality of the service.

"It's a chicken and egg situation. You need better rail links to increase demand and you need more demand to get better rail links."

Brenda Pollack, of Friends of the Earth, said she welcomed anything that encouraged people to leave their cars and use public transport but more needed to be done.

She said: "Bus and rail services need to be improved. Instead of putting £47 million into building a link road on undeveloped land between Hastings and Bexhill, the Government should be improving public transport."