A feud has broken out over building work on a new development which neighbours say is causing chaos.

Residents and traders in Sydney Street, Brighton, are upset about work carried out by city builders Beaver Property Partnership on land behind their properties over the last year.

But the Gloucester Street firm has denied causing any inconvenience - and says the new building will benefit the whole community.

Electrical contractor Clive Brimmell, who has lived in his Sydney Street cottage for more than 20 years, said his carefully-cultivated patio was ruined by work to demolish an old warehouse on the building site last year.

A flint wall just a few feet from his back door has also been partly demolished - leaving a three metre drop to the building site below - which he claims was carried out without his full permission.

He said: "It used to be my little haven in the centre of Brighton, but that's lost forever now. There were beautiful mature lilac trees, plants and nesting birds, but they were all destroyed by falling debris.

"I'm scared what's left of my patio will just drop down into the building site. I've written letter after letter but they just don't seem to care about the impact they're having. This is just the groundwork so I dread to think what it's going to be like when the actual building goes up."

Victor Romaniuk, a music teacher whose home in Gloucester Road also backs onto the building site, said he was unhappy about the demolition of a wall adjoining his property.

He said: "They said it had to be done and I didn't know any better, but I'm now wondering whether I should have agreed to it. They created a mess of my garden and then all they did was put up blue screening which makes a horrendous noise flapping about in the wind. It's been a complete nightmare."

Bonsai seller Eric Danot, who lives above his shop in Sydney Street, is angry about a scaffolding walkway which has been towering over his back garden for the last year. A steel pole which shores up the scaffolding drops down into his garden and a second pole is poking into the basement roof of Bargain Travel Bureau next door.

Mr Danot said he had accepted an out-of-court settlement for damage caused to his plants by falling debris but was upset about the intrusion caused by the scaffolding.

He said: "All they did was put up sheets of 4ft hardboard which was totally inadequate to protect my privacy. I don't understand why the scaffolding is even still up there. It's been messy which you can forgive but they just seem to be riding roughshod over people's lives."

The dispute has been brewing since the builders applied for permission to knock down the warehouse and build maisonettes on the site four years ago.

Neighbours objected to the scheme but it was eventually passed on appeal.

John Blake, spokesman for Beaver Property Partnership, said contracts had been signed with all neighbouring properties.

He denied the firm had broken any of the agreements, saying: "Some people just don't like change.

"This is a building which will benefit the whole of the North Laine. When you demolish something there's always a bit of debris. We cleared it all up."