Icy conditions led to a series of crashes as council chiefs blamed poor forecasting for not gritting the roads.

Sussex Police received 35 calls to crashes in West Sussex between 7am and 10am as temperatures plummeted yesterday morning.

West Sussex County Council said they decided not to grit the roads after the Met Office forecasted that temperatures would remain above zero.

A woman and her son suffered minor leg injuries after their car skidded on black ice outside Conies Farm on Maplehurst Road, near Horsham.

They were out of their car when a second vehicle collided with it, again having skidded on ice.

At least 10 vehicles were involved in separate crashes after coming to grief on sheet ice on the B2141 at Chilgrove, near Chichester.

Ice caused chaos on the dual carriageway B2070 London Road near Rake, on the Sussex-Hampshire border as five vehicles left the road and collided with trees and the central reservation.

On the B2133 Harbolets Road near Billingshurst three vehicles collided, leading to it being closed between its junctions with Broadford Bridge Road and the B2139 Coolham Road.

Emergency services attended as all three drivers were reported to have suffered minor injuries with sheet ice present.

A woman driving along Dunsfold Road near Plaistow was left with chest and abdominal pains and a man driving another vehicle suffered shock when their vehicles collided.

Two cars left the road and collided with hedges at Barnsfold Farm, Loxwood, near Billingshurst and a car skidded into a ditch near Maple Farm in Marches Road, near Horsham.

A Met Office spokeswoman said their guidance reflected that temperatures were due to be ‘borderline’ in West Sussex on Monday night.

She said: “It became apparent in the early hours that the risk had increased and we issued an amended weather warning just before 2am on Tuesday morning , predicting road temperatures would fall below freezing in West Sussex between 5 and 6am.”

Police warned motorists to beware of sudden changes in temperature.