The wrong kind of snow has infamously been responsible for holding up trains but now it seems the wrong kind of tarmac can have the same effect on cars.

Dozens of speed humps installed during the spring and summer in Brighton - to the great inconvenience of those using the roads on which they were laid - are being dug up because they are not stable enough.

Since March, contractors have been installing traffic calming measures and resurfacing in Upper and Lower Bevendean Avenue and The Avenue, Lower Bevendean.

People living nearby have put up with the din of jack hammers for months as their sleeping policemen were dug up and replaced with the defective humps, only to be told they would have to endure weeks of more noise.

Terence Genner, of Upper Bevendean Avenue, said: "It has been terrible.

"They shut the whole road off when it was being resurfaced and one side at a time when the speed humps are being put in.

"We've had a lot of noise and it's been much harder to find somewhere to park while the work has been going on.

"The work starts at 7.30am and the noise keeps going through the day.

"I spoke to one of the men digging the road up and he said he was really embarrassed about the mix-up."

The contractors put 26 speed humps in Upper and Lower Bevendean Avenue and another six in The Avenue.

Once in place engineers discovered they were moving slightly when heavy cars went over them and they had to be replaced.

The final works of digging up and replacing the humps started late last month and are expected to finish on Monday.

Sandra Bird, co-owner of Bird Heating and Plumbing in Upper Bevendean Avenue, said: "It has been a pain putting up with the noise and dust.

"The traffic has been diverted around the shop and my husband had to park on a green when it was happening.

"It is disgusting that they didn't know they were using the wrong sort of tarmac."

Rick Wood, of Upper Bevendean Avenue, said: "I am not a fan of speed humps. They're a waste of time because they don't slow people down."

He said he often found nuts, bolts and screws that had fallen off cars going over the humps near his house. Drivers often speeded up as soon as they got past the humps which caused more noise than a car travelling at a constant speed.

A spokeswoman from Brighton and Hove City Council said: "We understand residents have had a lot to put up with and we thank them for their patience.