Workers cleared trees and shrubs close to the rail line north of Wivelsfield Station at Burgess Hill, only a few yards from where Mrs Richards lives in Valebridge Road.

She says that she agrees some work must be done for safety reasons but feels it went too far and took it up with Network Rail.
Looking at the clearance work Mrs Richards said: "I can appreciate they had to take away growth closest to the line, but they have taken away loads of shrubbery as well.

"My husband's been down there and they to said to him they weren't going to cut further away from the line than three metres."

As well as the bare look of the embankment Mrs Richards is concerned about the loss of shelter and nesting places for creatures.

She said: "We get all kinds of wildlife there; badgers, foxes, green and spooted woodpeckers, chaffinches and other birds. It's their cover – it's where they nest. The wildlife dives into the shrubbery when the sparrow hawks fly down, now they are going to have no shelter."

A Network Rail spokesperson said: "Network Rail operates and maintains Britain's railway making sure it is safe, efficient and reliable for the passengers that use it every day.

"Alongside nearly every part of this country's railway are trees, bushes and other forms of vegetation.

"Whilst we must respect the natural environment that surrounds the railway, we must be continually alert to the potential dangers it presents. This means we monitor what is growing there and take the right steps to control it."