Disused railways across Sussex could be transformed into rubber roads made from recycled tyres.

A company working with the Government has revealed proposals to open up the lines to cars, motorbikes and trams by laying recycled rubber on the trackbeds, around existing sleepers and rails.

HoldFast, which currently uses the technology to surface level crossings, said disused railways between Uckfield and Lewes, Horsham and Brighton and Heathfield and Eastbourne were all being considered for conversion.

HoldFast managing director Peter Coates Smith said: "It is a definite way of taking cars off the roads and relieving traffic."

He said the rubber roads, made of interlocking panels, were quicker and cheaper to lay than tarmac and would not wear as quickly. Tests have shown they don't pothole and can be easily replaced. They have an expected lifespan of more than 20 years.

Mr Coates Smith said in some cases trains would also be able to run along rubber roads which were built around existing tracks. He stressed that could only happen on preserved railways, like the Lavender Line at Isfield, near Uckfield, and not on active routes.

HoldFast's proposals are now being considered by transport authorities throughout the UK. East and West Sussex county councils said they were looking into the possibilities but were not yet making any plans to create rubber roads.

A West Sussex council spokesman said most of the disused railways in the county had already been converted into cycle paths or bridleways.

The scheme has been met with scepticism by a group campaigning for the re-opening of the Uckfield to Lewes railway line.

Wealden Line campaign spokesman Brian Hart said: "The whole thing sounds cranky, it's a barmy idea. There is not a single disused railway line in Sussex which would be suitable for a road.

"Some have houses, by-passes or industrial estates built on their route, others have been made into cycleways or footpaths. It just wouldn't be feasible."

Mr Hart, a railway historian, said it was important for the Uckfield to Lewes line, closed since 1969, to be kept clear for reopening. Plans to rebuild it have gathered momentum.

Fellow campaigner Duncan Bennett said: "It would be ludicrous to put a road on that line when what it really needs is tracks and trains. It could reconnect a large part of Sussex with the South Coast and provide an important alternative to the London to Brighton main line."

HoldFast suggests tolls could be charged where rubber roads run close to other routes. It said the roads could be constructed at a cost of £1.4 million per mile, compared to £20 million for the same length of motorway.