Campaigners hoping to launch a city farm are out-raged their chosen site is among eight earmarked for a multi-million pound sewage treatment works.

For three years, supporters of the East Brighton City Farm project have been working to create Brighton and Hove's first community-run farm on land at the top of Sheepcote Valley, near Brighton racecourse.

The campaigners, who want to turn wasteland into an educational wonderland, are horrified the site has been suggested by Southern Water as a potential site for a giant wastewater treatment and sludge recycling centre.

Two sites in Sheepcote Valley have been named on a short list of eight sites between Brighton and Newhaven, to build a £200 million sewage treatment works for Brighton and Hove.

If planners and councillors decide the top of Sheepcote Valley is the best site, it will put into doubt the East Brighton City Farm project, which is already beginning to attract funding.

Angela Airlie, secretary of the project, said: "We decided to opt for the site at the top of Sheepcote Valley as the best for a city farm.

"Other sites we looked at, such as Whitehawk Hill or at the top of the Whitehawk estate were not suitable for archaeo-logical and environmental reasons.

"The upper part of Sheepcote Valley is ideal, especially as it was previously a farm.

"There is plenty of space, lots of grazing land, good access from Wilson Avenue. If they decide to build a sewage works at this spot, or at the bottom of the valley, it would mean the end of our project.

"Other cities have farms where children can go for educational talks about farming and the environment and regard it as a prized asset.

"We want a working farm that is run by and for the community in Sheepcote Valley, not sewage treatment works."

Southern Water also came under fire from pressure group Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), which accused the company of gambling with public health by proposing to pump what they claim will be inadequately-treated sewage into the sea.

SAS campaigners protested outside Brighton Racecourse yesterday on the first day of Southern Water's public exhibition on the future of sewage disposal in Sussex.

The exhibition details the eight sites proposed for the works. Dressed in wet suits and wearing gas masks, protesters stopped cars and handed out leaflets.

They constructed a 7ft Wheel of Misfortune, which listed the diseases they say can be caught by swimming in sewage from the proposed works. Southern Water has said wastewater at the works will receive secondary level treatment as specified by the European Union but the SAS says this does not go far enough.

SAS campaigns assistant Richard Hardy said: "Brighton and Hove is being offered a mediocre sewage system and people here deserve better.

"Southern Water has an opportunity to really move for-ward and provide the very best treatment for sewage but does not seem prepared to do that."

A spokeswoman for Southern Water said the company always adhered to legislation. She said the SAS group had been into the exhibition and talked with Southern Water officials.

She said: "We have already had a large number of visitors coming to the exhibition and would welcome even more."

Southern Water needs the works to treat the 95 million litres of sewage and waste water generated each day in Brighton and Hove.

The exhibition will be at the racecourse for three days, pro-viding details of the eight pro-posed sites - Shoreham Harbour, Black Rock, Lower Sheepcote Valley, Upper Sheepcote Valley, Ovingdean South, Peacehaven East, Brookside Farm Tip in Newhaven and North Quay, Newhaven.

The exhibition will then move to Hoddern Junior School in Peacehaven, on Thursday, Hillcrest Community Centre in Newhaven, on Friday and Southwick Community Centre, Southwick, on Saturday.