Motorists faced long tailbacks today after a crash at a busy railway crossing.

A vehicle believed to be a lorry, travelling east, hit a barrier at the Beddingham crossing on the A27 near Lewes at 11am.

It struck the barrier just as it was closing, breaking it off completely.

Trains were delayed by 20 minutes as Railtrack workers cleared the scene and services were slower than usual into the early afternoon.

Motorists experienced two-mile queues while the traffic lights stuck on red automatically.

Police were called in to direct the traffic in both directions.

A Railtrack spokeswoman said: "We are running the trains a little slower than normal to ensure the safety of staff clearing the area next to the junction.

"The disruption to passengers and motorists has been kept to a minimum."