Angry neighbours say they have been kept in the dark over plans to open an East Worthing vehicle repair depot 24 hours a day.

Hundreds have signed a petition against the scheme, claiming it would make living in the area a nightmare.

On Saturday, East Worthing and Shoreham Tory MP Tim Loughton joined a demonstration outside the proposed site of the depot, at the junction of Meadow Road and Dale Road in Worthing.

It followed a public meeting last week at the Windsor House Hotel, Windsor Road, which descended into "farce and chaos."

Many protesters said they were astonished to learn planning permission was granted last year for the depot, partly on land formerly owned by the borough council, which will be run by the Rossett Beck Group.

They said they were alerted only after Rossett submitted plans to open the workshops 24 hours a day, sparking fears of sleepless nights due to noise and disturbance.

Rossett plans to use the site to service and repair Daimler, Chrysler and Mercedes Benz vehicles from an area bounded by the M3, M23 and M25.

Mr Loughton said: "The onus of proof to show the new development won't have a serious impact on the residents is on the company and it was clear from the meeting, which was a farce, that they have not made their case.

"Many residents have serious concerns about the impact of noise and traffic on their quality of life. So many seem to have been kept completely in the dark by the local council as to what is being proposed here.

"Very few knew it had planning permission, or that the site was being sold to Rossett. The council needs to do a much better job at keeping local people fully informed. That patently hasn't happened.

"I would urge the council to reject this proposal until a lot more work has been done on the impact.

"East Worthing has been the forgotten corner of Worthing for too long. We just see a series of piecemeal developments."

Ann Terry, of Brougham Walk, said: "It is a residential area. The roads aren't built to take this type of traffic.

"None of us were informed about it. We seem to be a dumping ground here."

Many protesters said a stop should be put on new factories opening until the East Worthing Access Road is built.

When permission was granted last year for the construction of workshops, operating hours were restricted to 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturdays, but the company now wants work round the clock.

Councillors who will discuss the new application tomorrow have received a protest petition 288 residents and 17 letters of objection.

One said: "Meadow Road is already very busy and this plan would further reduce hours of sleep and increase air pollution and noise."

But Rossett denied residents would be disturbed. A spokesman said vehicles would be booked in during the day and delivered to the compound to the north of the building, away from homes.

He added: "The new building will be purposebuilt and constructed to comply with the latest insulation standards. No work involving panel beating or paint-spraying will be carried out on site."

The council's development control committee will be asked to grant permission on condition that after 7pm the workshop doors to the south are closed until 8am.

The company will not be allowed to exceed certain noise levels and there must be no commercial vehicle movement between 7pm and 8am.

James Appleton, the council's development control manager, said bright orange notices were placed in both Dale Road and Meadow Road alerting people to the applications, which had also been advertised.