A family was left stranded by builders after they dug up the road leading to their property.

The mistake was the last straw after nine months of chaos caused by developers building a housing estate next to Ian and Isabella Thomas' pretty cottage.

Since work began in December, the Thomases have:

had their address changed when the street was renamed
watched their house vibrate as machinery rolled by
had to use emergency power and water supplies, and
been warned their cottage could sink.

The Thomases, who have two autistic sons, Michael, ten, and Terry, eight, have brought in the district council, which is demanding the private lane is replaced.

They are also considering legal action against Westbury, which is building the 120-home Harbour Heights estate on the land between the cottage and the coast.

When they first spotted Bleak House, overlooking Newhaven Beach, the couple thought they had found the perfect spot.

Mrs Thomas, 45, said: "When we bought the house in November we were only told a month before we moved in there was going to be a housing estate next door.

"We carried on with the sale, although we don't know why this did not come up in the local authority search when we bought the property.

"We have put up with the noise and pollution from the building site for months but, about three weeks ago, they totally dug up Pevensey Road and gave us no access to our garage.

"Worse still, there is a huge hole running along the side of my house and it is slowly sinking. The council has admitted our house is in danger due to the fragile foundations.

"It has been a nightmare. I have two autistic children, who have to be watched 24 hours a day, and they are now living opposite a building site.

"The scariest thing has been when the house starts to vibrate, especially when the heavy diggers drive past. It has the boys in tears as they think the house is going to fall down."

The couple were also made to use emergency water, electricity and gas. Mrs Thomas said: "They said we need to use emergency supplies. They said it in such a matter-of-fact way that if we didn't use these supplies, we wouldn't have anything. So they dug up my driveway and garden many months ago to put in a temporary supply. They have only recently repaired all the damage done to the outside of the house."

When the council heard about the road being dug up, it told Westbury Homes to suspend work and reinstate it. Now Westbury Homes has applied for permission to close off the road but that must first go to a public consultation.

A letter sent by East Sussex County Council to Westbury demanded the road, which links the garage at Bleak House to the Pevensey Road, was put back.

It also demanded excavations at the back of the cottage are filled in to stop possible sinking.

A county council spokeswoman said: "Westbury Homes has not yet been granted permission to close off the road while it builds a new estate road.

"Until a retrospective application by Westbury Homes, to close off a section of the road known as Pevensey Road is processed, the county council, as Highway Authority, has instruct-ed Westbury Homes to reinstate the road."

To add to Mrs Thomas' woes, Lewes District Council has changed her address without her permission.

She said: "The district council told me I now live on Haven Way, instead of Pevensey Road."

Westbury Homes regional managing director Richard Terry said: "The situation with Mr and Mrs Thomas is that while they have access to their property, they are quite correct to say they cannot get to their driveway and garage.

"We have now received instructions from East Sussex County Council that we need to build suitable vehicle access to Pevensey Road.

"When we purchased the site some years ago, we believed we had the rights to all the surrounding land. It only came to light as we were developing the site that Pevensey Road is a public right of way.

"If there is any doubt that the house has been damaged because the road has been dug up, we will deal directly with Mr and Mrs Thomas.

"We have dug up the driveway and have also offered to complete a new driveway for the Thomases once the road is complete.

"I have every sympathy with the family with the building project going on. They are not the most pleasant things."