Ice on rails: Southern says East Sussex train line is disrupted this morning

At 5.32am a Southern spokesperson announced on X: “Due to ice preventing trains getting electricity from the third rail at Lewes all lines are disrupted.”

They said: “There is a possible build-up of ice on the electric third rail to the east of Lewes. This is causing delays to Southern services via this station. We currently do not have an exact estimate for the delays at the moment. If you need to use another route, we'll let you know shortly.”

People can see whether their journey has been affected at livemap.southernrailway.com/#/SN/mapview. There is an alternative route map at www.southernrailway.com/service-updates/service-updates/alternative-route-maps.

At 6.30am a spokesperson confirmed: “The Seaford Line is now currently suspended, and trains on other routes may be delayed by up to 15 minutes. Your Southern ticket will be accepted at no extra cost on: Brighton & Hove Buses between Brighton and Lewes, Seaford or Eastbourne; Thameslink and Gatwick Express services between Brighton and the London area.”

They said: “You will need to use local bus services to travel to or from Newhaven Town, Newhaven Harbour, Bishopstone or Seaford. Please leave at least 30 minutes of extra time to do this. If you are travelling to Southease, please speak to staff or push the green Emergency button on the station Help Point for replacement road transport.”