New trains which have come into service for South Central on Coastway services are a welcome improvement on the 40-year-old existing rolling stock.

But the noise they make on entering tunnels is not. It's unacceptably loud and annoying to people who live nearby.

Any one who lives near railway lines in Brighton accepts the comforting clatter of trains and the warning squawk they emit before plunging into the tunnels.

But they don't want to be woken up at 5am and at intervals after that by a high-pitched noise that makes them jump out of their skins.

It shouldn't be beyond the wit of South Central to find a solution to this problem and keep the noise to a reasonable level.

Reducing the nuisance might also save a tiny bit of electricity, the lack of which is preventing the company from introducing more new trains.