WEDNESDAY JANUARY 6

9.16pm

More schools in Sussex are expected to close tomorrow. A total of 276 schools were closed or partially closed in West Sussex today. A further 120 were shut in East Sussex and around 40 in Brighton and Hove.

8.58pm

Train operator Southeastern will also be running a revised timetable tomorrow. The revised timetable is available from nationalrail.co.uk or call 0871 2004950 for train time information.

8.06pm

Snow is reported to be falling again in Brighton. The Met Office has forecast light snow in the city overnight with temperatures dropping to -3C and -4C tomorrow morning. A severe weather warning is still in place for Sussex tonight and tomorrow with widespread ice expected on roads and pavements. The Met Office said the cold snap was likely to last until the middle of January. A spokesman said: “The public are advised to take extra care and refer to the Highways Agency for further advice regarding traffic disruption on motorways and trunk roads.”

7.40pm

Southern Railway will be running a revised timetable tomorrow. Southern Railway said all trains are planned to run as normal except those listed on its website. It said: "Due to the likelihood of continued adverse weather conditions a revised timetable is planned for Sussex Coast train services on Thursday 7 January." Some services have been cancelled or altered on a number of lines including the Brighton to London, London to Brighton, Eastbourne to London and London to Eastbourne lines. There are also some cancellations and alterations on other Sussex to London lines. For the full revised timetable visit www.southernrailway.com.

7.13pm

One lane of the M23 is blocked both ways due to snow between J11 A23 at Pease Pottage and J10 A2011 / A264 at Crawley.

7.03pm

Brighton and Hove City Council said it is carrying out a full gritting route this evening. It said around 450 of the cities main roads will be gritted. A total of 20 piles of salt is being distributed across the city to be used tomorrow.

6.15pm

Gatwick Airport has reopened. The runway has been cleared of snow but passengers are being advised to contact airlines for information. A total of 438 flights were cancelled before the runway was closed for snow clearance. In a statement Gatwick Airport said: "We regret the disruption caused to our passengers' travel plans but the safety and security of aircraft and passengers is our number one priority."

2.58pm

A handful of Brighton and Hove bus services are now running.

The number 1 is running but not in Whitehawk or Mile Oak. The number 2 is going from Shoreham to the Old Steine in Brighton but not on to Woodingdean and Rottingdean. The number 5 is running between Sackville Road and the bottom of Carden Avenue.

The number 6 is running from Sainsbury's West Hove to Brighton Station. The number 7 is running from George Street to Brighton Marina. The number 25 is running from Palmeira Square to Falmer Station and the 46 is running from the Open Market to the Holmbush Centre.

12.54pm

Brighton and Hove City Council has advised residents and businesses they can clear snow from pavements in their street without risk of legal claims from anyone who then had an accident on that stretch.

A council spokesman said: "While we cannot give categorical legal advice for residents wishing to clear the pavements in their streets, we can say that it is unlikely to give rise to legal liability."

It has previously been reported that people could face legal action if they cleared pavements because their were technically assuming responsibility.

The council spokesman said any claimant would have to prove the actions of the householder had made the situation worse or were not what would have been reasonably expected.

12.44pm

Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach company has announced it is hoping to start running its number 1 service between Arundel Road, in Kemp Town, and Portslade, shortly. All other services are still suspended.

Gatwick Airport remains closed and Southern Railway services on the Arun Valley line, East Grinstead line and Uckfield line are all subject to severe problems.

12.12pm

All outpatients appointments have been cancelled at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath. Appointments are continuing as normal at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. For more details about outpatient services at both hospitals, call 01273 696955, ext 4997.

11.45am

Hastings Borough Council has announced it will close early at 3pm in light of the expected worsening of conditions.

11.41am

Brighton and Hove Libraries are open today, except for Mile Oak library. Portslade library will close early at 4pm. The city's public toilets are all closed and refuse services have been suspended.

11.38am

Somerhill Junior and Davigdor Infant schools, which were among the few in Brighton and Hove to open this morning, have announced they will close at 1pm in light of the worsening weather.

11.35am

Crawley Borough Council has announced it will be completely closing down at noon today. The K2 leisure centre and the council's community centres have all been closed all day and refuse services have been suspended in the town.

The council said it would decide this evening whether to open tomorrow.

11.30am

Brighton and Hove City Council housing cleaning staff have been detailed to gritting all of the housing sites they can safely reach. Priority will be given to building entrances.

11.20am

Brighton and Hove City Council has suspended parking enforcement so motorists will not be prosecuted if they are forced to park their cars illegally because of the snow. However, the council has warned that there will be hourly reviews so people should avoid parking illegally unecessarily.

10.55am

Brighton and Hove buses remain out of service and Gatwick Airport is still closed as heavy snow continues to fall. Almost all Southern Railway services across Sussex have been delayed or cancelled.

10.30am

Due to the severe weather conditions affecting the region, South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust (SECAmb) has declared a major incident. Sue Harris, Director of Operations, said: “We are prioritising life-threatening calls above all others, and due to the adverse conditions it is unlikely that we will reach patients with minor injuries and symptoms in worst hit areas. “We urge people to stay indoors unless it is absolutely necessary. Driving conditions are extremely hazardous and we want to reduce the risk of injury on the roads as much as possible. “If you need medical advice please contact NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.”

10.22am

The Southwick Tunnel on the A27 at Portslade has been closed to eastbound traffic because a lorry has jack-knifed on the snow.

09.50am

Brighton and Hove City Council said it had done everything possible to keep the city safe today after the problems with the last snowfall. A spokesman said a massive gritting operation had taken place over the past few nights but added that the brief rainfall which came before the snow in the city last night may had washed away some of the salt.

9.34am

There is very little snow on Brighton and Hove's seafront but it has become thick north of Old Shoreham Road, where most of the problems have occurred.

9.32am

Southern Railway has suspended services in West Sussex.

9.18am

Children are already out on their sledges in Hollingbury, Brighton, while a brave paperboys and girls have been spotted out and about getting on with their rounds.

9.10am

More traffic problems have been reported on the A26 between Lewes and Newhaven, the A27 at Polegate, the A24 at Southwater, the A2219 and A2220 in Crawley and the A2031 Teville Road in Worthing.

9am

Traffic is crawling on the A27 in both directions between Brighton and Eastbourne.

8.58am

The Met Office has forecast more snow to fall in Sussex throughout the day. In Brighton and Hove the snowfall is expected to be heaviest at around noon when winds gusting up to 30mph.

Temperatures are expected drop back below freezing at around 6pm.

8.55am

Brighton and Hove Buse and Coach Company has announced it is withdrawing all buses following advice from Sussex Police because of the worsening weather conditions.

8.52am

Warnings have been issued about treacherous conditions around several Sussex towns, including Crowborough, Lewes and Bognor Regis.

8.49am

The M23 is also severely affected, with two northbound lanes closed between Pease Pottage and Crawley.

8.48am

Falmer Road in Woodingdean is partially blocked because of a broken down lorry at the junction by the Downs Hotel.

8.46am

A double-decker bus has been abandonned on Coldean Lane in Brighton after getting stuck in the snow.

8.45am

Hundreds of Sussex schools have now confirmed they will be closed today, including the majority of those in Brighton and Hove. See the latest list here http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/4835065.Sussex_snow__school_closures/

8.43am

Cars are struggling to get up Carden Avenue in the Hollingbury and Patcham area of Brighton. Several drivers have abandonned their vehicles.

8.39am

There are a series of problems along the A27 as the main rush hour has begun. In Hove cars have been stuck in long queues on the roads leading to the Dyke Road interchange.

8.30am

Gatwick Airport has announced an ongoing suspension of all flights. Eight snowploughs have been trying to clear the runway but have been unable to keep up with the amount of snow falling.

The A27 is also blocked both ways in Worthing. A broken down lorry has blocked the westbound carriageway on Warren Road and another is stuck on a hill eastbound on Arundel Road. A third lorry is blocking Longfurlong in Worthing.

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