Soaring house prices, gridlock on the roads and tackling crime are still top priorities for people living in Sussex.

But a massive survey of households by the South-East England Regional Assembly also found the region was the most content in the country.

An overwhelming nine out of ten people said they were happy living here.

Just six per cent were very unhappy compared with 12 per cent in London.

Ray Bowers, head of spatial planning at the assembly, said: "There are difficult choices ahead. On the one hand we want more housing but that means higher density in cities like Brighton.

"The cost of houses was the top of people's concerns and we are looking at ways we can provide more affordable housing.

"This is very important information we've got from the Mori survey."

Across Sussex, 86 per cent of people said flats and houses were just too expensive, with two-thirds saying buying a home was "a serious problem".

Seventy per cent of them want two and three-storey terraced town houses or detached homes but say there are not enough on the market. More than half of those asked were looking for family homes as opposed to small flats.

Daniel Sadler, 30, is buying a house in Brighton having worked his way up the property ladder after first buying a home in Eastbourne.

The Gatwick aircraft dispatcher will spend £250,000 buying and renovating the two-bedroom home.

He said: "We were flabbergasted by the house prices and how they have gone up. The cost of houses just keeps escalating."

Traffic came second on the list of complaints, with 45 per cent fuming at the amount of congestion on the roads.

They feared more houses being built would lead to more traffic.

Eight in ten people found travelling around Sussex a problem.

More than 90 per cent wanted more trains and four out of five wanted better bus services.

Road-building caused more controversy, with 72 per cent wanting more bypass routes but 61 per cent were against building new motorways.

Sixty-five per cent were fiercely opposed to the introduction of congestion charges outside London.

Lisa Barrow, 37, from Hangleton, drives a delivery van for a living and says the city often reaches gridlock.

She said: "The congestion does annoy me because I'm trying to get everywhere fast."

Crime and vandalism also added to people's frustrations, with 46 per cent saying the problem had to be tackled.

People were happy with the number of jobs on offer, with 60 per cent saying the South-East had better employment opportunities than the rest of the country.

The regional assembly is responsible for proposing strategic planning and transport policies to the Government.

A focus group of 16 to 20-year-olds in Brighton backed the findings of the survey.

The body is drawing up a 20-year plan to boost the South-East and asked 1,800 people what they wanted to see improved in the area.