A council leader has written to the transport secretary to issue a "plea" for a resolution to the chaos on Southern rail.

The leader of West Sussex County Council, Louise Goldsmith, wrote to Chris Grayling before Christmas to highlight the "huge detrimental effect" of rail strikes on the county.

The issue, which Cllr Goldsmith describes as "serious and pressing", was also raised by members of all political parties at a recent meeting of Full Council, at County Hall, Chichester.

In the letter, sent on Thursday 22 December, Cllr Goldsmith references a recent University of Chichester study which estimated that the cost of the RMT and ASLEF union strikes. could be as much as £396 million this year.

She said: “One of this council’s three key priorities is the development and support to our economy and I am deeply concerned about the long term economic impact that this strike is now having in the county and on the attractiveness of the county for future business given the reliance upon sound infrastructure.”

Cllr Goldsmith also went on to raise concerns about the social impact the strikes are having, particularly on children getting to school and college and patients attending hospital appointments.

Cllr Goldsmith concluded the letter by saying: ““As the county’s third largest employer, we are more than aware that this is having an impact on productivity, potential recruitment and the ability of some of our staff in key area such as Children’s Social Care to do their jobs.

“My request, or should I say plea, is very simple and very clear - to find a solution as quickly as possible in the New Year and to resolve the situation in order to support West Sussex working effectively again for our residents, our businesses and our national economy.”