A water company has been accused of jumping the gun in its fight to build a £200 million sewage treatment centre.

Southern Water revealed today it had started the formal process of making compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to buy the necessary land for its plans.

Land affected includes an area of Lower Hoddern Farm at Peacehaven where the company wants to build the centre.

If built, the plant would handle 95 million litres of sewage generated daily by the 250,000 people living in Brighton and Hove.

The plans also include an 11km underground sewer between Brighton and Peacehaven, a 2.5km long sea outfall at Friars' Bay, Peacehaven, underground pumping stations and other new sewerage infrastructures.

John Hodgson, a spokesman for Peacehaven Residents Opposed to Urban Development (Proud), said: "The farm owners have always said they did not want to sell and were supportive of our campaign but they knew that Southern Water had compulsory purchase powers.

"This is more arrogance from a utility that is determined to get its own way. This is jumping the gun. No decision has been made on the application.

"It feels as if the company wants to give the impression that the final decision is inevitable but it isn't.

"This will not make people give up the fight. It will only make them more determined and swell opposition in the town even more."

Southern Water is still waiting for planning approval for its application.

The company has submitted an appeal to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott after East Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council did not determine its original planning application within the statutory 16-week period.

This is expected to lead to a public inquiry but the company has also sent in a duplicate application for exactly the same wastewater treatment scheme to both authorities.

This will mean both authorities will have the chance to make a decision on the application locally before the start of any future public inquiry.

A spokeswoman for Southern Water said the planning application negotiations were continuing but it was going ahead with the CPO process to cut out any future hold ups.

She said: "The CPOs will be made while the company continues to negotiate with affected landowners to ensure there are no unnecessary delays in delivering the scheme if, ultimately, planning permission is granted but acquisition of land cannot be voluntarily agreed."

The land subject to the notices is: The foreshore at Black Rock, Brighton; Marine Drive, Brighton; and land at Lower Hoddern Farm, Peacehaven - the site of the proposed wastewater treatment works and sludge recycling centre.

The first two areas of land are owned by Brighton and Hove City Council and the third is private. Southern Water opted for the farm site at Peacehaven after plans to expand existing works at Portobello, Telscombe Cliffs, were rejected following an inquiry in 1999 and 2000.

A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: "At present, the sewage is discharged a mile out to sea at the eastern edge of the city. New treatment facilities will ensure that bathing water quality along our coastline will improve."