A Mid Sussex couple have threatened to sit in the middle of the road every day in a protest against what they claim is an illegal mini-roundabout.

Pat Ellis and her disabled husband Peter say West Sussex County Council has ignored their pleas to move the roundabout.

The Ellises believe the roundabout in America Lane, Haywards Heath, breaks highway guidelines because residents should be allowed to reverse into their own driveways - a manoeuvre which is illegal on a roundabout.

They say have to put up with daily abuse from other motorists as they try to back into their drive or out on to the roundabout.

Now they plan to hold up traffic by sitting in the middle of the roundabout with placards.

They couple say they have suffered 18 months of misery since the mini-roundabout was installed outside their driveway in America Lane, Haywards Heath.

Their son Paul, who builds roads as part of his work as a contractor, said: "It should not have been built there in the first place. It does not slow up traffic anyway because people just drive straight over it."

Mrs Ellis said: "Somebody once painted a yellow yoke in the middle of it because it just looks like a big fried egg.

"When cars use it to turn round the other way, they come right up on the pavement and they have even clipped our hedge sometimes.

"The traffic was a bit hectic before they put the roundabout in, but you put up with that on a crossroads and at least we could get in and out of our drive without people shouting abuse at us.

"Now we have got traffic lights up in town, people use America Lane to avoid the lights, so it has got busier."

A council spokesman said there was no breach of road regulations in building the roundabout.

He said: "We are happy with the roundabout and we feel it has proved its worth."

He said there were no plans to move it, even though the couple were forced to reverse on a roundabout to use their drive.