A £1 million flood prevention scheme has failed to convince residents it will keep their homes dry.

Residents in Vale Road, Denmark Road and Church Road, Portslade, have suffered years of flooding caused by overflowing sewers.

One million pounds is being spent by Southern Water to alleviate flooding in the area, which has been beset with problems whenever there is prolonged heavy rain.

Homes have been flooded, sewers have overflowed and firms have had to close.

The area is disadvantaged by its position at the base of a valley which means water from the South Downs is funnelled into the area.

Southern Water has been working with Brighton and Hove City Council to rid Portslade of flooding.

At the heart of the scheme is the construction of a huge storage tank at Shoreham Harbour. The 725 cubic metre storage tank, currently nearing completion, will take up to 200,000 gallons of waste water.

The water will eventually be carried to the Shoreham Treatment works. It should be operational early next year.

Portslade North councillor Bob Carden said: "I am pleased we have got this scheme going in such a short time.

"Hopefully it will be the end of flooding in Portslade."

However, residents said they will only believe the scheme works after it has been finished and proves it can cope with heavy rain.

Ali Lloyd Jones, of Vale Road, one of the residents who has suffered from continued flooding, said: "I will believe flooding of Portslade is a thing of the past when my house is not surrounded by sewage when there is heavy rain."

Pat Philps, of St Richards Road, said she was not convinced that the new drainage system would work.

She said: "The other morning the water was over the top of my shoes because the drains were blocked again."

Sharon Dhajan, who runs the Church Road Post Office, said: "We will believe it when we see it.

"When it rained heavily here the other day the water was still running down the road like a river."

Project manager Andy Butcher said: "This is a high priority scheme which has been fully backed by the water regulator OFWAT."

The scheme also includes a £40,000 flood relief scheme at the junction of Vale Road and Denmark Road and a £120,000 scheme in the Elm Road area.

Both areas of Portslade have experienced flooding in recent years.

The council has undertaken to install soakaways in Wickhurst Rise and bore holes in Valley Road.