Plans for a new link road between traffic-choked Hastings and Bexhill have been unveiled in a controversial study.

The recommendation comes in a report by government consultants Halcrow.

A series of recommendations have been made but the announcement of a link road between Hastings and Bexhill will delight campaigners.

Many homeowners, particularly in Bexhill Road, were highly vocal in their support for the £120 million Hastings and Bexhill bypass.

But the scheme was rejected last July by former transport secretary Stephen Byers, to the delight of the Green lobby which said it would destroy land and wildlife.

The decision to press ahead with a link road has reignited protests from environmentalists, who fear it will be a bypass under a different name.

However, the main political parties, many businesses and residents have long believed that an improved road infrastructure is the only way to attract jobs to the area.

The report also recommends that the level crossing at Lewes-Beddingham, be replaced with a flyover to reduce crippling bottlenecks.

Highly controversial plans for a Worthing-Lancing bypass, featuring three small tunnels, have also been tabled, along with a new Arundel bypass.

But any proposals to drive a new road through countryside will spark an outcry from conservationists, who have fought successfully to block such schemes in the past.