Gatwick Airport

BBCCopyright: BBC

A new service has gone live across Sussex to support the national NHS Test and Trace system.

It will take on responsibility for contacting people across East and West Sussex who have received a positive Covid-19 test result, but were unable to be contacted by the national Test and Trace team within 48 hours.

Contact will be made to these people via text, phone or email.

The service will also provide advice regarding positive test results and requirement to self-isolate.

And it will also collect details of people's contacts during their infectious period and enter them into the national NHS Test and Trace system.

The local service will operate between 08:00 GMT and 20:00 GMT seven days a week, including public and bank holidays.

Lab results have shown trains running in the south east are testing negative for coronavirus.

Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern's carriages were all tested over the past three weeks following treatment with a long-lasting viruscide.

Swabs were taken from areas in the train carriages frequently touched by passengers and staff such as grab rails, tables and toilet handles.

Govia Thameslink Railway's chief operating officer Steve White said: “We are carrying out a comprehensive testing regime of our trains to ensure that our customers can travel with confidence."

Sussex Police has praised people for behaving well as 300 protesters gathered in Brighton to voice concerns over the latest national lockdown measures.

Supt James Collis told BBC Sussex there were no reports of student parties and just one fine was handed out over the weekend.

He said: "We realise it’s a difficult time for everyone. There are no extra officers, we are focused on hotspots."

Supt Collis said the force's focus will be to "engage, explain, encourage" before enforcement.

He added: "Immediate enforcement action will be taken for those recklessly ignoring regulations."

The single fine handed out was for "travelling without excuse".

Sussex Police has reminded people to abide by the regulations of the latest national lockdown.

It has urged everyone to "pull together and stick to the rules".

Pop-up cycle lanes introduced in West Sussex to reduce pressure on public transport are to be removed.

The temporary cycleways, funded by the government, were installed with the aim of providing more space for people to cycle in areas such as Crawley, East Grinstead, Horsham, Shoreham and Worthing.

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The cycle lanes were first brought in during May but thanks to additional funding for local transport and traffic, they are no longer needed.

Roger Elkins, cabinet member for highways and infrastructure, said: “The schemes fulfilled their main objectives of offering people dedicated space to cycle rather than using public transport, or to leave the car at home and use their bike instead.

“The extraordinary environment that led to their installation no longer exists even though we are about to enter into a new national lockdown: schools and colleges are open, traffic volumes have increased and, although public transport capacity is not back to pre-March levels, it is significantly improved.”