Sleepy residents will descend on a station in their pyjamas to protest against the noisy train horns costing them their sleep.

Children living near Brighton station are regularly woken by the sound of South Central's new trains approaching a nearby tunnel, with horns blasting at about 30 decibels louder than before.

They face the constant hooting from 5.20am to well after midnight, six days a week, leaving their parents increasingly concerned for their health.

On Saturday morning, up to 20 children living in the Seven Dials area will don their smartest nightwear, grab their teddy bears and accompany their parents to the station to remind rail bosses of the disruption to their slumber.

Residents have in-undated MP Ivor Caplin with letters and approach-ed environmental health officers at Brighton and Hove City Council in a bid to get something done after South Central told them the volume of the horns was in keeping with safety regulations.

Now they are considering launching a legal battle under the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the right to respect for an individual's home and family life.

Jill Bridges and her family lived happily in Highdown Road for 11 years until the trains were introduced in January.

Her children, aged eight, five, and two, will join Saturday's protest. She said: "They keep getting woken up and I am a bit concerned about their concentration levels school-wise if their sleep is being affected.

"The first train is about 5.20am. They are just dropping off again when another one comes about 5.30am. You end up just lying there anticipating the next train. It's very stressful."

Residents are due to meet their MP this weekend.

The city council has so far been unable to act because noise legislation does not cover sounds made by trains. It is seeking legal advice.