Strong winds and torrential rain caused havoc across Sussex yesterday as the county was battered by Storm Henk.

Roads were left impassable by fallen trees, flooding and fallen power cables as the storm hit.

Powerful winds reached up to 70mph in some areas.

More than 2,500 people suffered electricity outages as the storm brought down power cables.

Power failures were reported in Pulborough, Burgess Hill, Hassocks, Crawley, East Grinstead, Crowborough, Hailsham, Robertsbridge and Rye.

UK Power Networks deployed additional staff to cover operational, technical and call centre roles as teams worked to restore supply “as quickly and as safely as possible”.

The severe weather forced Southern Rail services to run at a reduced speed, causing delays of up to 90 minutes for commuters. Disruption was so bad that people were advised not to travel.

Flooding in the morning disrupted trains between Horsham and Chichester.

Floodwater was also reported in Piltdown, near Uckfield, where the River Ouse burst its banks.

Warnings were issued across the county urging people to protect their homes from flooding as the storm raged.

Alerts were issued for Barcombe Mills, as well as along the River Adur, the River Uck and Barnham Rifes.

The Argus: Trees blocked roads across the county as the storm hitTrees blocked roads across the county as the storm hit (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

Roads were blocked as trees across the county came crashing down in strong winds, with congestion on the A22 in Forest Row, the A22 in Polegate, the A284 in Lyminster and the A27 in Wilmington as emergency crews worked to clear roads for motorists.

In Brighton, children got perilously close to the seafront as waves up to 12ft high battered the shore, despite warnings from the RNLI to stay away.

Similar scenes along the coast in Hastings on New Year’s Day prompted the charity, which marks its 200th anniversary this year, to urge people to stay away from the coast.

A spokeswoman for the RNLI in Rye said: “Waves are treacherous and they have the power to sweep people off their feet and yet some people think they are invincible.

“Had the waves hit them at that speed, they would have been swept out to sea. Families could have had to face tragedy so early in the year. Nature is not a power to be trifled with.”

Today’s weather is expected to be much calmer, with sunny intervals and gusts of up to around 30mph along the Sussex coast.