Storm Over Flood Defence

They believe a proposed scheme could actually increase the risk of their homes being flooded and damage the tidal lagoon s fragile ecology.

Environment Agency flood defence chiefs want to build up the shingle bank and install concrete groynes to keep it in place to stop the sea flowing across low-lying areas around South Lancing and Shoreham Airport.

But Friends of Widewater Lagoon (FOWL) said the plans meant the brackish water was filtered through the shingle and would make it too salty to support the rare plants and animals that lived there.

Both sides agreed the amount of water circulating through Widewater would be reduced by a fifth.

The residents say this in turn would make the Haslar Estate inland from the lagoon more vulnerable, because heavy rain, which drains into Widewater, would have nowhere to go.

Agency Sussex area flood defence manager Rupert Clubb said West Sussex County Council and English Nature backed the plan.

"The sea defences there are absolutely vital, not just for the people who live behind them, but also for Widewater.

"The bottom line is if we don t do the work, there won t be a Widewater."

East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tim Loughton, who chaired a meeting between the residents, said the agency needed to explain the project to residents.

"We have two key responsibilities. We need to make sure adequate flood defence work continues to take place to protect the residents of that area, but at the same time, we don t want anything that is going to affect the sustainability of Widewater."