People claiming their health has been damaged by pesticides have dismissed new safety recommendations as "farcical and ridiculous".

A report last week called for a five-metre (16ft) no-spray buffer zone around fields where crops are being sprayed.

But campaigners say this does not take into account wind drift or other weather conditions.

In the USA some states require buffer zones of up to 2.5 miles around schools.

The Rev John Elson's vocal cords were irreparably burnt by pesticides 16 years ago, forcing him to retire early from his village ministry.

Mr Elson, of Olives Meadow, Uckfield, said: "I think five metres is entirely inadequate.

"I was about 20ft away from the sprayer that passed me, so that is not nearly enough."

Mr Elson was working under his car when a crop sprayer treating the roadside hedge drove by.

His wife Jennifer called out to warn him but he could not move in time.

As he wriggled out he moved straight into a cloud of chemicals which he breathed in.

Doctors told him there was nothing he could do except wait to see what happened. Since then his vocal cords have been irretrievably deteriorating.

Mr Elson, who has four children and seven grandchildren, said: " I lost eight years of my pension but my health is the most important thing."

His story was included in a portfolio of evidence presented to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution which produced last week's report for the Government.

The portfolio was put together by Georgina Downs, from Runcton, near Chichester, who has had chronic health problems since inhaling pesticides as a child.

She said: "I have not worked four and a half years for a farcical and ridiculous five-metre buffer zone."

Ms Downs, 32, was admitted to hospital with chronic muscle wastage at the age of 18 and now has osteoporosis and neurological problems.

She collected case studies from across the country revealing clusters of illnesses in farming communities. She has already applied for a judicial review against the Department for the Environment, Food and Agriculture (Defra) and is also considering a civil court case based on her evidence.