A council has been recommended to pay £1,000 each to three couples who complained they had been misled about a new development.

The couples, who live in neighbouring bungalows, did not object to a planning application for commercial development at the back of their homes because they believed the buildings would be single-storey.

The names of the complainants are not being released.

Local Government Ombudsman Jerry White upheld the complaints and found maladministration causing injustice against Crawley Borough Council.

He recommended the council pays £750 to each of the couples to enable them to provide screening against the development, plus £250 for their time and trouble.

In his report, the Ombudsman said the development had a significant effect on the three couples in terms of noise, being overlooked and its overbearing aspect.

The council failed to mention the effect it would have on the three families when councillors came to consider the application.

He said: "The omission in the report to the committee was maladministration.

"While I do not consider the application would have been refused if the complainants had objected to it, I do consider it is more likely that additional conditions would have been imposed to lessen the impact of the development on the complainants."

One of the complainants said she went to the council offices to look at the plans and was told it would be single storey and there would be no mezzanine floors.

She was also told windows would not overlook her property. For these reasons she did not object to the application.