Residents are preparing to claim compensation for the way their homes have been blighted by £34million improvements to the A27.

People living in homes close to the stretch of the road between Beddingham and Southerham, near Lewes, said they have had to put up with increased noise, pollution and speeding since a new railway flyover was built and an extra lane added.

They responded after the Highways Agency, which finished the three year roadwork project last year, published notices that it would consider payouts to anyone whose property had suffered because of the works.

Philip Norris, whose home in Ranscombe Lane, Beddingham, is metres from the the road, said: "It has definitely got much noisier. The road used to be down in a cutting leading to the railway level crossing but now it has been raised up for the flyover it means the noise travels so much more.

"When you have motorbikes going down there on a Sunday morning the noise is unbelievable."

Janet Oliver, who said her kennels business Corriecollies in Ranscombe Hill was blocked off from its customers by the roadworks, said the widened road had led to more drivers speeding past, creating more noise.

She said: "It is an absolute nightmare. It isn't just speeding though, people throw rubbish out of their cars, used nappies and everything, and nobody clears it up, it's left to us to sort out."

Mrs Oliver said the residents had been given no support through the problems and had to find out about the compensation scheme themselves.

The Highways Agency said it would consider compensation claims from anyone who believed their interests had been deteriorated by £50 or more by the physical changes caused by the works, in terms of noise, pollution, vibration, smells and lighting.

It will start considering claims on August 23, marking a year since the works were completed.

While the residents have been unhappy at the works they have proved popular with the thousands of drivers who use the road each day and no longer have to queue in traffic at the bottleneck level-crossing.

Lewes MP Norman Baker, who constituency contain the road, said: "All of the comments I have heard about the road have been complimentary about what was created. It has been a success."

The Highways Agency said the project was carried out to reduce congestion, making the road safer and reducing delays for drivers by building the bridge over the railway to replace the level crossing.

The roundabouts at Beddingham and Southerham were widened and the road expanded to create two westbound lanes.