FORECOURTS across the county are set for a major revamp as a group sells its petrol station portfolio to a rival.

The Co-operative group has agreed a £600 million deal, which will see its 129 petrol stations handed over to Asda.

The deal is a bid to reduce the Co-op’s debt and provide a “buffer” for an uncertain future.

It means that forecourts in Sussex are due for a drastic change, as Co-op removes its branding and hands over to Asda.

Sites affected will include Polegate, Horsham and Crawley.

Co-op’s chief executive, Shirine Khoury-Haq, told the PA news agency: “Today’s sale will help us to reduce our net debt and improve our financial position, giving us more of a buffer to ride out the current economic waves.

“If we have learned anything over the past couple of years, it is that we cannot predict much in terms of what is coming next.

“We are incredibly optimistic about the future of the business, but we do need to look prudently at the external environment.”