The new Lewes library, a school sports development and disabled access schemes for council buildings have been axed following a multi-million pound blunder.

We exclusively revealed East Sussex County Council had counted a sum of money twice and made over optimistic predictions on how much land sales would bring, resulting in the £3.7 million shortfall.

Yesterday, councillors decided to withdraw funding for many projects and postpone work on other schemes, including building school classrooms, to save £2.9 million.

They also cut £500,000 from a household waste programme in Crowborough and axed studies into library standards and a new records centre.

Other projects were given the go-ahead including £170,000 for a council staff cafe, £600,000 for seven new classrooms at Causeway School in Eastbourne, £171,000 to adapt homes for the elderly and disabled and £350,000 for temporary accommodation for a secondary school in Eastbourne.

Protesters who gathered outside the meeting said they were "bitterly disappointed" over the decision to withdraw £863,000 from the budget to start work on a library in Lewes.

Secretary of the Friends of Lewes Library Lyn Dobroski said: "To get to this stage and have the cup dashed from your lips leaves us very bitter indeed."

Lewes Library has been left with £30,000 for a deposit on land for a library site but with no guarantee that work will start.

Deputy leader of the council Daphne Bagshaw recommended cutting several schemes which had already been allocated thousands of pounds from the budget.

Bexhill High School's project for sports development, which was due to receive £200,000, will be dropped along with a £150,000 plan to improve access for the disabled to council buildings and £150,000 for travellers' sites.

Heathfield Community College's £800,000 project for seven new classrooms was postponed along with grants for Wadhurst Uplands Community College and Newhaven Tideway School.

Coun Bagshaw described the £3.7 million shortfall as a "ghastly happening".

She said: "I wish I did not have this hit list at all. Every scheme has been announced and planned and they are all worthwhile schemes.

"It gives me no pleasure to make these decisions. To put it simply, the county council cannot commit itself to spending money it does not have."