Firefighters mounted a clean-up operation after animal blood spilt from a lorry on to a busy East Grinstead road, causing traffic chaos.

Police believe the blood came from a truck loaded with offal which stopped at a pelican crossing on Station Road and shed part of its load.

One lane was blocked to traffic as firefighters washed away a 30 to 50-metre area of foul-smelling blood using detergent and high-pressure hoses.

The Environment Agency attended the scene and confirmed the spillage posed no danger to the public.

Fire brigade Sub Officer Alan Whales said: "The lorry was gone when we got there so we can only guess what happened.

"The road there is on a slight hill and as he braked or stopped at the crossing bits and pieces must have come out holes in the back of the lorry.

"The driver was probably not even aware of it. There was not an awful lot of blood but it was pretty smelly."

An Environment Agency spokeswoman said: "We went down and confirmed there was no danger of contamination."