Motorists are being warned to take extra care on icy roads after widespread flooding in Kent and Sussex.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for ice across the South East between 18:00 GMT on Tuesday and 10:00 on Wednesday.

Flood warnings also remain in place across parts of Sussex.

Kent County Council highways manager Toby Howe said it had been an “awful night” with heavy rainfall causing extra issues on the roads.

Mr Howe said there had been more than a dozen accidents across the county on Tuesday morning, including a jack-knifed lorry in Swanscombe, two crashes in Langton Green and a motorbike involved in a collision in Lamberhurst.

“We treat approximately 3,000km (1,864 miles) of road each night, and on those roads there are so many areas where there is water coming off the fields,” he said.

“So until we’re aware of it, we can’t actually get to it. It was an awful night because of that situation, I’m afraid.”

East Sussex Highways said Barcombe Mill Road in Barcombe, and Stonestile Lane in Hastings were closed due to flooding.

In West Sussex, flood warnings have been issued by the Environment Agency for Bersted on the Aldingbourne Rife, Fittleworth on the Western Rother and Pulborough on the River Arun.

A West Sussex County Council spokesman said a fleet of 19 gritters would be treating key routes across the county tonight.

“If you need to drive, please only do so with extreme caution and allow plenty of time for your journey,” he said.

“High ground-water levels and resultant running water make our roads far more hazardous in very cold conditions and we haven’t had the two combined for a number of years.”

Sussex Police also requested the closure of Colworth Lane in Oving while ice treatment is carried out.

The railway line between Hurst Green and East Grinstead was also blocked following a landslip.

Some Southern Rail passengers may be affected, Network Rail have warned.

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South East Water “must act urgently” to significantly improve its performance, a government minister has said.

Rebecca Pow said the company must address issues which meant thousands of households were without water in parts of Kent and Sussex before Christmas.

Ms Pow said the government “will not accept excuses for poor performance”.

David Hinton, chief executive officer at South East Water, said: “We realise the service we provided our customers fell short”.

“We are now focusing on doing all we can to prevent these issues happening again.”

Some businesses and homes were without water for up to a week in December.

South East Water said the problems were due to a rapid thaw after freezing weather, which caused pipes to burst.

Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate, the Tunbridge Wells MP, Greg Clark, said South East Water had “failed in its only purpose”.

He said financial compensation “beyond the statutory minimum” should be paid to those affected and “a wider contribution” should be made by the company “to the whole community”.

He also called for “an urgent plan” to guarantee the security of water supplies against “power cuts, floods or freezing weather”.

Mr Clark said: “If [South East Water] cannot make us confident that this will not happen again they should be removed from this role.”

In response, the minister said the regulator, Ofwat, had written to all water companies to ask them to provide a report by the end of February on their performance during this period.

Ms Pow said Ofwat would assess the responses and take further action.

She has also asked for another meeting with Mr Hinton.

Mr Hinton said: “With regards to compensation, our customers who were affected do not need to do anything, as we are now assessing what compensation levels may be applicable. Customers do not need to contact us to be eligible.”

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Crawley Borough Council fears it could face bankruptcy if thousands of Chagos islanders choose to settle in its area.

Chagossians were forced to leave their homeland when Britain bought the islands in the Indian Ocean in the 1960s, with many settling in Crawley.

More people of Chagossian descent are now eligible for British passports but Crawley Borough Council fears providing housing for them would be unaffordable.

The Home Office said the government was looking at supporting councils.

With a community of 3,000 Chagossians already settled in Crawley, the council said between 3,000 and 5,000 more could claim British citizenship, with many choosing to join their relatives in West Sussex.

The application process for people of Chagossian descent to secure British nationality opened in November.

In a joint letter to the government, written with West Sussex County Council, Crawley Borough Council said the extra costs of housing more Chagossians could result in it declaring a section 114 notice, effectively declaring bankruptcy.

Crawley Borough Council said the sums involved in providing services to islanders moving to the town would be beyond the means of even the largest local authorities.

Councillor Michael Jones, leader of Crawley Borough Council, said: “I do not think it is either unfair or hyperbole to describe this as a crisis situation for Crawley.

“As a town, we are already facing historically-high housing pressures, with temporary accommodation units approaching 350 and becoming a significant budget pressure for the council, and a housing waiting list of around 2,000.”

The letter claims that 100 households arriving in Crawley without housing would cost £227,500 every month in temporary accommodation costs, but if the number rose to 2,000 it would cost the authority £4.5m a month.

The Chagos Islands is an archipelago formed of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean.

The islands were historically part of Mauritius, which had been a British colony since 1814. They sold the islands to the UK for £3m in 1965.

The UK evicted Chagossians from the archipelago between 1967 and 1973 so that the US could erect a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the group.

Many of those exiled were resettled in Crawley. The decision to allow more Chagossians British citizenship has been welcomed by Chagossians in Crawley.

Mylene Agustin runs a lunch club for islanders in the town, and said:
“It’s good news. My niece who lives in Mauritius can finally join me here.

“I just want the government to support those who arrive as I don’t want them to face the same trauma as my parents who were exiled from the Chagos islands in the 1960s.”

Another club regular, Frankie Bontemp, said: “The main issue has not been addressed for the right of return and the on-going negotiations between the UK and Mauritius where Chagossians have been excluded so far.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “On 23 November 2022 we opened a bespoke route allowing Chagossian descendants to apply for British citizenship free of charge.

“This new route gives anyone of Chagossian descent the security to plan for their future as a British citizen and the certainty this brings.

“We are working across government, with local councils and local authorities to understand what support is needed for Chagossian descendants who decide to come to the UK through this new route.”

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