BUILDING a new town on the doorstep of flood plains would be madness, campaigners warned as parts of Sussex were covered in water yesterday.

As pockets of countryside were once again submerged campaigners called for developers to "see sense" and look for somewhere more suitable for the Mayfield Market Towns project.

The company hopes to build 10,000 homes alongside new schools and shops in a new town on land between Henfield and Sayers Common in a bid to tackle the county's chronic housing shortage.

This weekend roads and fields in the area, which is historically prone to flooding, were under up to 14 inches of water, cutting off homes and businesses.

Reeds Lane, which could become the town's main access road to the A23, was impassable and the cars which attempted to venture on broke down. High water lay dormant in Twineham Lane, parts of Twineham village and surrounding fields which overlook the development site.

For those who oppose the development, this is evidence enough that the area should be avoided. Similar fears have been raised by campaigners about a 400-plus estate due to be built in Lewes.

No exact site has been picked and no plans have been approved yet for the project.

But developers insist they would not build directly on flood plains and said any plans, should they go ahead, would include completely re-engineering the land and drainage.

Jane Watson, of Locals Against Mayfield Build Sprawl, said it would be like "putting a brick on a wet sponge".

She said: "Building homes in this area is absolutely bonkers. We are in a low lying basin with clay. The water would just be displaced and could exacerbate flooding in areas downstream.

"The water has begun to clear now but on Sunday the water was coming over the tops of my wellies. This area has flooded every year for the 15 years I have lived here."

Cereal farmer Robert Worsley said flooding is such a regular occurrence he cannot venture onto his fields at all in the winter months.

The 49-year-old owner of the 550-acre Twineham Place Farm near Haywards Heath stood to make £275 million by selling up to the company but refused to save his neighbours from development.

He said building on an area so prone to flooding would be "madness".

Firefighters were called to pump away flood water 14 times in the area between 2012 and 2015, according to statistics published under Freedom of Information laws.

A Mayfield Market Towns spokeswoman said the land would be re-levelled to withstand a one in 1,000 year flood with a complex drainage system if plans went ahead.

She said: "Most developers only allow for one in 200 year flooding events. The whole site is not a flood plain, just certain parts within it. We would not build on these.

"Furthermore, following the Horsham Local Plan Examination, the independent Government Inspector concluded the land where Mayfields is proposing to develop 'does not fall within any environmental designation and there is no evidence that any protected wildlife habitats need be affected. 'Despite the anecdotal evidence of local residents, there appears to be no concern from the Environment Agency that surface water flooding could not be managed through a Sustainable Drainage System. No other overriding physical constraints have been raised.

"There remains a chronic housing shortage in West Sussex, and we remain committed to delivering a high quality new settlement with a significant proportion of affordable homes for people who need them.”

Any plans would be subject to approval by the council and the Environment Agency before they went ahead.

'DEVELOP ON A FLOOD PLAIN AND EXPECT... FLOODING'

FIELDS and roads submerged by inches of water - these are the winter scenes we have come to accept as a typical in parts of the Sussex countryside.

Since 2000, when the most devastating floods of recent years hit the area, many who live on flood plains and near rivers have become accustomed to opening their doors to find themselves momentarily cut off, with impassable roads and seeping fields.

It is accepted in part as the way nature intended it and plans to defend against floods are always welcome.

This week flooding has been widespread, with seven warnings in place across the county. Between 2pm and 7pm on Sunday alone East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service was called out 11 times to reports of flooding in roads and homes in Brighton, Eastbourne, Forest Road, Hailsham, Heathfield, Broad Oak, Ticehurst, Five Ashes, Cross In Hand, and Bexhill.

West Sussex firefighters rescued three people who got stuck in a car in flood water in Crawley at about 7pm.

Some fear ideas to solve the housing crisis could exacerbate what is already an inevitability if homes are built on the doorstep of flood plains and too near rivers which more often that not will burst their banks with heavy rainfall.

These are the fears of campaigners opposing development across the county.

Locals Against Mayfield Build Sprawl say it would be "madness" to build near areas of flood plains between Sayers Common and Henfield, which developer Mayfield Market Towns is considering for a brand new town with 10,000 homes in a bid to tackle the housing shortage.

The project could also include up to five primary schools, an academy and a higher education campus, a high street and a smaller parade of shops, and 200 hectares of open space for farms, allotments, parks and playing fields.  No exact site has been picked and no plans have been approved.

Developers insist they would not build directly on flood plains and said any plans, should they go ahead, would include a "complete re-engineering" of the land and drainage systems.

The effects of building in a low lying basin of clay, campaigners argue, would be flooded houses, with a knock on effect to neighbourhoods downstream and the surrounding roads.

This weekend was a perfect example of what is already happening in an area historically prone to flooding, campaign group member Jane Watson said.

Some of the area was under up to 14 inches of water, cutting off homes and businesses.

Reeds Lane, which could become the town's main access road to the A23, was impassable and the cars which attempted to venture on broke down. High water lay dormant in Twineham Lane, parts of Twineham village and surrounding fields which overlook the development site.

Statistics published under Freedom of Information laws also showed firefighters were called to reports of flooding 14 times in areas where the new town may be built between 2012 and 2015. They pumped water from roads and out of care homes, hotels and homes in Bolney, Henfield, Sayers Common, Hickstead, Woodmancote, Albourne, Hurstpierpoint.

Cereal farmer Robert Worsley, who stood to make £275 million by selling up to the company but refused to save his neighbours development, said the weather means he does not dare touch the fields on his 550-acre Twineham Place Farm near Haywards Heath, where he grows wheat, oats, barley, and linseed.

He added: "It has been part of nature for many years and there is not much you can do about it. It's clearly madness if you build on it. The water has got to go somewhere. Even if they raised the ground high enough it could hugely exacerbate the flooding further downstream, like in Steyning or even Shoreham."

Zoe Snell, landlord of The Bull Inn, Shermanbury, which is downstream from the potential site, said she has pumped water out of her cellar several times in the last 15 years, and her neighbours are met with water lapping at their back doors.

She said: "When it floods the pub is like a beacon for people in the area to find out which areas are clear. When it floods we can't get any business from the Horsham way because the bridge nearby is often cut off. A lot of people need housing but in low lying areas it will be much more difficult for flood water to disappear."

Similar fears have been raised by campaigners after plans by developer Santon to replace the Phoenix Industrial Estate in North Street with 416 homes, workshops and a health centre were approved by the South Downs National Park Authority. The site, which will be built in partnership with Lewes District Council, is right next to the banks of the Rive Ouse.

Santon and the council said the plan will strengthen flood defences as well as provide much-needed housing.

Juliet Oxborrow, director of community development company Lewes Phoenix Rising, said: "The area has been designated as at high risk of flooding. It is a tidal river so a lot of rain and high tide is a potent combination. The site has never had substantial residential development, it has always been industrial. They are called flood plains for a reason. We need a complete re-think on how we build in this country and tackle levels of flooding."