Coach travel to and from London is booming because of trouble on commuter rail lines.

Pool Valley coach station in Brighton has seen a 20 per cent increase in travel to the capital since the rail trouble started a month ago.

But even coach travel is not immune to the recent chaos with coaches leaving Brighton having to be diverted at Patcham because of flooding on the A23.

Director Howard Trevette however said his fleet is still making good time to the capital with coaches leaving Brighton on time at 10 minutes to the hour.

A return fare is £8 and there is also a mid-week off-peak return fare of only £5 which is proving popular.

Mr Trevette said: "Patcham is a nuisance at the moment but we are getting through.

"A lot of people are using coaches at the moment because they are all seated and all safe."

He advised people looking to travel by coach for the first time to book seats in advance because of demand. The booking line is 01273 272666.

Many rail lines are still being checked and repaired following the Hatfield crash and some have been blocked by flooding.

Passengers on the Brighton to London line are still having to travel via Lewes or take buses to Haywards Heath because of a landslide at Hassocks.

Railtrack has been told it will have to pay out £250 million to cover the cost of re-

railing after the crash and in compensation to train operators.