It could cost councils millions of pounds to repair crumbling cliffs along the Sussex coastline after months of bad weather.

In the past three months, there have been cliff collapses and mud slides at Brighton Marina, Telscombe Cliffs, Peacehaven and West Beach in Newhaven following torrential rainfall and freezing temperatures.

At a meeting yesterday, Lewes District councillors were told a half-mile stretch of undercliff walk at Peacehaven, where hundreds of tonnes of chalk fell on to the path earlier this month, would stay shut until spring at the earliest and there was a serious risk of more collapses.

They heard work to shave back the cliff and remove the debris needed to be carried out before the path could be reopened.

That could cost the council tens of thousands of pounds.

In the longer term, Brighton and Hove and Lewes councils are preparing bids for millions of pounds from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food as part of their coastal defence strategies.

Both are taking predictions that global warming will result in more extreme weather and rising sea levels into account.

Lindsay Frost, Lewes council's director of planning, said: "What the consultants said about the immediate vicinity of the fall at Peacehaven was that there was a serious risk of further collapses, with large blocks coming off from overhangs, and that needs to be attended to.

"It is not safe for the public to use and public safety must come first."

"The question is whether we should spend a lot of money on undefended stretches of cliff."

The district council will produce a report of its coastal defence strategy by March before it goes to public consultation.

The underpass walk at Brighton Marina is still shut following several small cliff falls and the council is consulting with experts about what work needs to be carried out.

Gary Thurston, assistant director of environment and housing at Brighton and Hove Council, said: "You are talking about large sums of money when it comes to cutting back cliffs."

An £8 million scheme to repair a sea wall between Brighton Marina and Ovingdean could start next year.