Villagers plagued by noisy train horns have won their fight to stop drivers sounding them at a level crossing.

Residents of the Arun Valley complained they were kept awake at night because the new Electrostar trains were so loud.

Now Network Rail has announced it will remove signs telling drivers to sound their horns at a pedestrian crossing as long as a risk assessment shows it is safe to do so.

As well as this, train operator Southern is reducing the sound level of its horns by eight decibels.

Peter Marsh, 65, who lives 500m from the railway at South Stoke, near Arundel, said: "The issue is still there. The drivers don't seem to be sounding them in the early morning any more but really eight decibels is quite a small reduction."

Villagers in Amberley, Arundel, Burpham and Pulborough complained to their MPs about the noise and Mr Marsh spoke to The Argus in August about the problem.

It has been escalating since Southern introduced its new rolling stock two years ago because the new horns are louder, reaching up to 124 decibels.

It got so bad, the Brighton-based Noise Abatement Society (NAS) has called on the Office of the Rail Regulator to seek a judicial review on the problem.

The NAS said it has been contacted by one resident who found the noise so distressing she tried to kill herself.

Train drivers are required to sound their horn to warn of the their approach at places like long tunnels and pedestrian crossings.

But Mr Marsh said the crossings near South Stoke were clearly signposted and not a hazard to pedestrians. A spokesman for Network Rail said it was in the process of removing vegetation around the crossing and would carry out a risk assessment of the site next week.

The work should be finished by the end of November.

He said: "I appreciate it may be frustrating for people to wait so long but the good news is that the risk assessment team will be taking a look at all the other contended whistleboards in the area when they come to examine the South Stoke crossing.

"We hope that might soften the blow."