Homeowners in Burgess Hill have joined a campaign to ban train horns which are loud enough to activate car alarms and set off security lights.

Residents in Brighton, Hove and Worthing have been complaining for months about a new generation of trains fitted with the ear-splitting horns.

Now those farther up the London line are backing their campaign.

Pensioner Michael Heath, 69, of Pinehurst, said the horns were making his life a misery.

He said: "We have two sets of double glazing but can still hear the noise.

"I'm a keen gardener and my garden backs on to the train line. I sometimes hear dozens of the horns go off in an afternoon.

"It is very disturbing and affects people's quality of life. It's a matter of liberty. I should be able to sit or work in my garden without such noises."

Mr Heath said the horns also affected security lights and car alarms.

Mid Sussex district councillor Anne Jones, from Burgess Hill, said: "People who live next to railway lines get used to trains going past but to suddenly introduce these new horns is very disruptive to people's lives.

"The rail bosses should be made to spend a week living near the lines to see what it is like."

A spokesman for South Central said: "We are working with other players in the industry and with the regulating body, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB).

"Our trains meet all legal requirements and we cannot legally turn down the horns without the authority of the RSSB.

"We are talking about what we can do about the horns. We really do sympathise with people suffering with the noise of the trains."