Hundreds of trees across Sussex are shedding their leaves in what appears to be a bizarre early autumn.

As temperatures soar, trees should be busy sucking up the solar power.

But many are instead jettisoning their leaves in a bewildering clash of the seasons.

The unusual phenomenon has prompted a host of calls to tree experts, particularly in Brighton, Hove, Telscombe and Arundel, where it has been at its most dramatic.

Although unusual, the anomaly is not a sign of sudden tree death.

Mark Pullen, who helps care for trees in Brighton and Hove, said the situation was the result of freak summer storms.

He said gale force winds had whipped sea salt through the air, depositing it on leaves.

The salt sucks the moisture from the leaves and in response, the tree shuts off the sap supply.

Mr Pullen said the effect was known as salt burn.

He said: "After heavy summer storms from the south-west, sea salt is carried through the air and deposited on trees causing the leaves to dry out and burn.

"The salt has a dessicating effect on the leaves. It draws all the moisture from the leaves and turns them brown."

He said trees in Brighton and Hove had suffered particularly badly from last month's storms.

The city council's tree department had received dozens of calls about the problem from people who had noticed many of the parks were losing their greenery.

Mr Pullen said it was nothing to worry about and summer would soon be restored to Brighton and Hove.

He said: "It isn't unusual but it has happened early this year.

"The storms were quite violent so the results have been particularly dramatic.

"It normally happens in late September but because autumn is on the way people don't notice it as much."

Chlorophyll, the green pigment found in leaves, is the life source of the tree. It helps the leaves transform the sun's energy into chemicals used for growth.

Discolouration shows this essential chemical is no longer present.

Mr Pullen said: "On occasions like this the brown leaves are jettisoned by the tree because they are not photosynthesising and therefore are of no value.

"When the trees first come into bud in the spring, they leave some buds back.

"After they have shed their leaves, the new buds will come into bloom and gradually the trees will come back to life.

"It's a natural phenomenon and the trees have a natural way of dealing with it."