Badgers blamed for burrowing beneath homes in Saltdean have been declared innocent in a newly published report.

A university professor has spent three months carrying out detailed research into the animals' sett using digital mapping and archaeological archives.

Dr Stephen Harris, from the University of Bristol, concluded the badgers had made their home in a lynchet - a ridge of soft mud created by prehistoric farmers who ploughed the hillside above.

He believes the creatures will remain within the natural confines of this softer soil and are unlikely to expand their sett beneath homes - a fear which led Defra to issue a cull licence in October last year.

His findings have been confirmed to an extent by Defra inspectors who have discovered some of the damage attributed to the badgers had a different cause.

Four neighbours complained to the animal welfare minister Elliot Morley last year, saying their homes were being undermined.

In the first case of its kind, Defra issued a licence to slaughter the animals to protect privately-owned property.

The decision sparked a wave of protest with up to 300 animal-lovers staging a 24-hour vigil at the spot to protect the badgers.

The cull was suspended and Home Office experts are working alongside campaign groups to find a humane solution.

The slaughter licence has expired and a new one is unlikely to be issued until July, the end of the breeding season.

Dr Harris' report was commission by the National Federation of Badger Groups (NFBG), as part of the ongoing investigation.

Dr Elaine King, chief executive of the NFBG, said: "This discovery is important for two reasons. First, it shows the sett is large because of the underlying soil, not because there is a large number of badgers.

"Second, the badgers cannot easily establish similar setts in other gardens because the underlying soil is not suitable."

An independent examination by Defra has revealed the badgers are not responsible for burrowing beneath the gable end of one house, as had been alleged.

The report also looked at the attitude of the community towards the badgers.

A total of 75 per cent of residents reported little or no damage caused by the badgers while only nine per cent said they actively disliked them.