TORIES are pressing for a bypass for two traffic-clogged villages to be built as soon as possible.

They say traffic in Woodingdean and Rottingdean has become almost intolerable for local people.

Rottingdean councillors Lynda Hyde and David Smith are behind the proposal.

Coun Smith said: "I have some ideas of where the route of any bypass should be.

"But it's up to professional officers to come up with the best possible feasible scheme."

Coun Hyde said she would take the proposal to the Tory opposition group.

She said: "Every time I walk down Rottingdean High Street I'm in danger of having my arm knocked off."

Coun Smith said he had thought of three possible routes for a bypass.

One would be through Telscombe Tye, possibly in a tunnel, heading towards the A27 at Newmarket. Another could be past the Meridian Centre at Peacehaven and through open country to the A27.

Athird solution would be to widen Wilson Avenue and continue it north-east round the back of Bevendean and towards the Falmer Road.

Coun Smith said all three routes suffered from the difficulty of going through downland and it would be up to the experts to find the best route.

There has been a huge increase in traffic through the two villages since the Brighton bypass was built.

The only way traffic can get into Brighton or out to Newhaven is through Woodingdean and Rottingdean.

Coun Smith said that drivers, frustrated by long waits on the A23 between Patcham and Brighton, drove on the bypass to Falmer and tried to enter the town from the east.

He added that the proposed Portobello sewage works and Falmer stadium would add to the problem.

Labour council leader Lord Bassam said he was extremely interested in the proposals, but added: "While I fully understand the concerns of local residents about traffic growth, I am not sure in this instance whether their remedy would not be worse than the problem they are seeking to cure.

"Any bypass in that area would make a significant incursion into the Downs and should therefore be ruled out."

He added: "I would like to see realistic alternatives for local residents to get them out of their cars and on to more sustainable forms of transport, particularly our excellent local bus network."

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