The cost of repairs following a train derailment in Lewes in August is expected to reach more than £5m, it has been revealed.

Two people were seriously injured after a service carrying about 150 passengers derailed close to the railway station, resulting in the route between Haywards Heath and Lewes being closed for more than two weeks.

In response to a Freedom of Information request, Network Rail said the "anticipated final cost" of repairs would be £5.4m.

The letter reads: "These costs will cover a range of activities associated with recovery after an event like this, including hiring heavy plant machinery and infrastructure renewal and repair."

He said: "The reality is all kinds of costs will have arisen, it was a derailment involving three coaches which turned over on an embankment.

"They will have been damaged to some extent. They had to be retrieved, they had to get special cranes in.

"The line was closed for quite a while, that means disruption, and that means at the moment delay attribution charges which Network Rail has to pay to the operators."

While initial findings from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch uncovered an "irregularity" with the tracks, authorities have not confirmed the cause and investigations are ongoing.

A group of people, including Rob Bradley who was on the service with his six-year-old daughter, are taking legal action against Southern Rail over their injuries.

Network Rail said it only held estimated information about costs at this point.

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