Dozens of villagers have complained their idyllic lifestyle is being shattered noisy train horns.

Residents of the Arun Valley say they are kept awake at night because the new Electrostar trains are so loud.

The problem has got so bad the Brighton-based Noise Abatement Society (NAS) is calling on the Office of the Rail Regulator to seek a judicial review on the horns problem.

The NAS says it has been contacted by one resident who found the noise so distressing she tried to kill herself.

Home owners in villages around Arundel have been complaining about increased noise since Southern's new rolling stock was introduced two years ago - but now they are at the end of their tether.

Peter Marsh, 65, who lives 500m from the railway at South Stoke, near Arundel, said: "The sound echoes around the valley so you can't leave your windows open at night.

"The first train goes through at 6am so that wakes us up and they keep going until around midnight. It is very intrusive.

"This is a peaceful little valley and it is unacceptable."

Villagers in Amberley, Arundel, Burpham and Pulborough have complained to Nick Herbert, MP for Arundel and South Downs.

He is meeting Southern rail about the noise.

The horns have been unpopular because they are louder than the old ones, reaching up to 147 decibels.

Train drivers are required to sound them to warn of their approach at places like long tunnels and pedestrian crossings.

But Mr Marsh said the crossings near South Stoke were clearly signposted and not a hazard to pedestrians.

Peter Wakeham, of the NAS, who lives in Grand Parade, Brighton, said the problem was nationwide.

He said: "Over the past two years I have received 17,000 complaints from people around the country. I have even spoken to an elderly lady in Hastings who tried to kill herself because of the sleep disruption. There are weapons of torture that are quieter than these horns."

Last year a group of Hove residents won a campaign to stop drivers sounding their horns through short tunnels.

They and the NAS also reached an agreement with the Rail Safety and Standards Board that train companies should reduce the horns' noise level by eight decibels.

Mr Wakeham said not all train companies had complied and the NAS was calling for a judicial review to force them to address the problem.

A spokesman for Southern rail said: "Southern has acted responsibly over the problem of train horn noise by quickly implementing rule changes when allowed and instructing drivers to use their horn considerately.

"We are also in the process of lowering the volume of the horns on our trains."