Uuniversity leaders have held heated discussions with students and staff over major building expansion plans.

The University of Sussex has embarked on a 25-year spending programme which will see new buildings, shops and car parks on its Falmer campus, near Brighton.

But the plan has sparked anger among many members of staff and students who claim there has been a lack of consultation.

Problems came to a head last week when more than 100 protesters invaded a construction site.

They were demanding an explanation into the building of a car park in areas of natural beauty.

Demonstrations began as a peaceful vigil on the edge of the site.

The mood changed when the crowd, consisting of students, began to get larger in the afternoon.

A group started to tear down barriers securing the site, prompting protesters to surge forward and climb on to diggers and cranes.

Work ground to a halt as they raised banners and shouted through megaphones.

Some heckled security guards while others threw grass back on the newly dug-up ground and refused to leave until university leaders agreed to a meeting.

The situation was calmed by the Students' Union president Roger Hylton, who guaranteed a meeting between university Vice-Chancellor Allisdair Smith and the protesters.

In a statement Mr Hylton said: "We cannot endorse illegal behaviour by students or staff, however I sympathise with the aims of the protest."

At the meeting, held earlier this week, Mr Smith urged students to look at the building plans in context.

He said: "Car parks aren't noisy. The building of them will be, but only for a very short time."

Student Toby Osmond, 23, said: "We are all furious this project has gone ahead without any consultation.

"This is an area of outstanding natural beauty and attracting more cars to this already congested campus is ridiculous."

Earlier this year students complained about work on a car park near the university creche.

They tried to get a court injunction to stop work but their bid failed although the university did agree to suspend work while managers spoke to protesters.

Mr Hylton said: "It is quite worrying the creche was not considered in the university's initial planning assessment."

A university spokeswoman insisted staff and students had been consulted over the project, with leaflets and meetings to explain the changes.