Residents who were impacted by severe flooding in the county have been advised not to return home. 

Homes, warehouses and holiday parks across West Sussex including Littlehampton and Shoreham were left underwater by torrential flooding yesterday morning. 

Last night, West Sussex County Council urged those evacuated from flooded areas not to return to the areas affected by water due to further risk of high tides overnight.

Dave Podesta, of Tudor View in Littlehampton, said the flooding was the “worst he has seen in 20 years”.

The 75-year-old added: “We had water through here. We were lucky, the ones down the road were evacuated.

“It’s worrying, it’s such a nice place to live. I have got to put up with it.”

Hundreds of people were evacuated by dinghies and emergency services after the River Arun burst its banks in the early hours of Tuesday during Storm Kathleen.

A spokeswoman for West Sussex County Council said: "We are working with its partners, Chichester District Council and Arun District Council as well as the Environment Agency in dealing with the flooding that has occurred at Littlehampton near Ferry Road and Rope Walk where the River Arun, burst its banks. Further flooding occurred at Medmerry Holiday Park, which is on the coast near Bracklesham.

"All those who have been evacuated from these areas are being advised not to return to the areas affected by water due to further risk of high tides overnight," the council said.

"It is expected that calmer winds and reducing tides are due in the coming days, making the situation much better. In the meantime, all those affected have been evacuated and provided with all necessary support until they can return to their premises.

"The next steps will be to evaluate the damage caused to roads and other amenities. However, this will not be possible until the water has receded which we are anticipating over the new couple of days. At this time a full evaluation will be undertaken and any work needed to be carried out to rectify any issues will be put in place. Environment Agency will also be evaluating flood defences but will not be able to do this until water subsides.

"We urge the public to continue to monitor local council social media feeds and websites for the latest information."