Traffic congestion on the A27 is likely to be the biggest problem facing plans for a 5,000-home eco-town in Sussex.

A special committee set up to assess plans for the huge development on a former airfield at Ford, near Arundel, said the by-pass was "perhaps the biggest obstacle" that would have to be overcome.

The committee, set up by Arun District Council, feared that the road, which is already struggling with the current volume of traffic would not be able to cope with the thousands of extra cars from any new development.

Councillor Graham Tyler, chairman of the committee, said: "The select committee consider that the Arundel by-pass is perhaps the biggest obstacle for the eco-town to overcome and must be a prerequisite for any such development.

"There is no commitment to funding by the developers - they claim that Ford would bring forward the by-pass but we have seen no evidence of this, particularly as the Highways Agency has not attended.

"This is a critical area of concern."

He added: "Deliverability is a key issue and the Arundel by-pass is also a critical factor.

"No-one denied that there would be at least eight years traffic chaos if these plans went ahead."

Made up of eight councillors and independent planning expert Jim Redwood, the committee started its six-day investigation, held at the Arun Civic Centre in Littlehampton, on Tuesday.

It has so far heard from the two groups bidding to build an eco-town at Ford - the Ford Airfield Vision Group and the Ford Enterprise Hub.

There have also been discussions on Arun's Sustainable Community Strategy after a presentation by the Local Strategic Partnership and the impact an eco-town could have on Arun and the Sussex Coast, lead by the council's head of planning Howard Cheadle.

Among those taking part in the discussions are representatives from the Department of Communities and Local Government, local MPs Nick Herbert and Nick Gibb and members of protest group Campaign Against Ford Eco-town (CAFE) and the Villages Action Group.

At the end of the investigation the committee will publish a final report which will be submitted to the Government as part of the first consultation phase.

On Monday, the day before the first meeting, much of the proposed site was water-logged after heavy rainfall.

Protesters claimed the floods were proof that the site was not sustainable.

Ford was shortlisted by the Government as a potential location for one of ten eco-towns which will be built before 2020.

They will be designed to champion a green approach to living by being carbon-neutral and energy efficient.

The 350-acre site would include shops, schools and office spaces.

The CAFE members have organised a petition, launched a website and will hold a march and a rally on June 7.

For more information on the committee and its inquiry, visit www.arun.gov.uk/ecotown.