SUSSEX Police DID decide to lock the gates at Brighton Station as thousands of Pride revellers queued to get home on Saturday night.

They categorically denied making the decision on Monday after people reported being crushed and hundreds slept on the beach after missing trains home.

On Monday, a force statement said: “The Sussex Police command team for the operation did not request that the gates at the station be shut.

“During the planning of the event we made it clear that there needed to be a robust plan at the station and good transport arrangements. This was the responsibility of other partners to arrange.”

But now senior officers say Sussex Police did order the closure for safety reasons due to overcrowding.

A joint statement from the British Transport Police Assistant Chief Constable Charlie Doyle and Sussex's Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry said: "Following the celebrations and the event at Preston Park, an exceptionally high volume of people arrived at Brighton railway station to make their return journeys.

"Due to a number of factors, the number of people who came to the station at once were unprecedented.

"Just after 11pm, a British Transport Police officer asked a Sussex Police officer to go to the front of the station to make an assessment on the number of people arriving.

"A decision was quickly made by the Sussex Police officer to close the gates, and with the support of station staff, the station was temporarily closed.

"This decision was made on safety grounds to allow the safe departure of passengers on trains.

"Staggered entry was then managed by police until the station re-opened fully just after midnight.

"It was evident the queuing system at the station was unable to cope with the number of people, resulting in potentially dangerous overcrowding on the concourse and platforms. This was compounded by the availability of trains at the relevant time."

The Argus:

People asleep on Brighton beach after Pride

When we asked Sussex Police why they said it was not their responsibility on Monday but released this statement yesterday, they said it was because the officer only came forward on Tuesday.

They said: "We confirmed on Monday that the Sussex Police command team for the operation had not made that request.

"On Tuesday, however, a Sussex Police officer informed the command team that he had in fact shut the gates, with the support of station staff, after being asked by a British Transport Police officer to go to the front of the station to make an assessment of the crowds. The concourse was already overcrowded and people continued to arrive."

The force said it "commends our officer’s decision that was made in order to prevent harm coming to the public".

The joint statement continued: "Safety is our main priority and this decision was necessary in order to prevent further harm coming to passengers and staff within the station.

"We understand this decision resulted in people being delayed in getting home, but it was essential to prevent a dangerous situation from escalating.

"We will continue to scrutinise our decisions that night and will work with the train operating company and station management team to ensure that the crowd management plans at the station, in particular the queuing arrangements, is reviewed and lessons learnt."

They thanked the public for their understanding and patience.

Sussex Police added: "Closing the gates is part of the contingency plans to manage crowds and the officer's quick actions prevented a dangerous situation from escalating.

"While we can now confirm who closed the gates and why, the real emphasis must be on ensuring the crowd management plans at the station, in particular the queuing arrangements, are reviewed and lessons learnt."

They said they have nothing further to add about the incident.