Earlier in October the Hastings Alliance campaign group failed in its bid for a judicial review of the government's decision to contribute £56m towards the project. Construction is due to start in January following the government's approval Compulsory Purchase Orders for the land in September.

The protesters, who hope for a last-minute reprieve in their decision to start building in 2013, received major attention on local media, including the BBC's South East Today.

Derrick Coffee of Hastings Alliance said, “The realisation that such a high quality environment, cherished by so many thousands of people in Bexhill and Hastings was under threat was the starting point for our campaign 12 years ago. “

In examination of the case being made by promoters [ESCC] for the road, we realised the case was not only weak, but that alternatives had not been fully and properly examined. That meant that the valley would possibly be sacrificed for a scheme without justification.

“As for the future, to the greatest degree possible we intend to carry on shedding light on what has been a flawed process, so that at the very least other similarly weak schemes are seriously questioned.”

“This road is going to create destruction” said one protestor, while another described the plan as, “corporate vandalism” added another.

Photograph by Jessica Mayall