the government around £200 million in delays to road building projects. Man-on-a-mission Chris Todd, 58, has spent more than five years launching legal cases against the Department for Transport (Dft).

The Mr Todd, a former flight simulator engineer, is using his democratic right as an individual to challenge projects. But in January Sir Keir Starmer railed against what he called "nimbys and zealots" who were "gumming up the legal system often for their own ideological blind spots to stop the Government building the infrastructure the country needs".

It is claimed Mr Todd has challenged road-building projects in the North of England and East Anglia with a total value of £2.5 billion. It's reported despite his stands against the schemes not being successful, it's estimated between £200 to £300 million has been added to the cost of those schemes because of the delays caused by the legal wrangles.

Nimby, meaning 'not in my backyard' is often used to refer to people who object to planning proposals near to where they live, or in areas they wish to protect from development.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Mr Todd said: "If you take the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) as an example, because it is the most recent one the Labour government has taken, the economics for that would say you don't ahead with it, that is the daft thing.

"There are so many people labelling people who oppose these things as blockers, but actually it's and Rachel Reeves who are blocking the real positive infrastructure investments that could be made, other than things that don't even wash their face.

"If you invested the money they are going to have to spend on the LTC you could make a massive difference to the quality of our roads across the country, repairing them to a standard where we are not falling down holes and tripping over paving slabs and tree roots because councils can't afford to maintain those properly."

and the removal of restrictions stopping headline housing and building projects one of the party's key strategies this term, but Mr Todd is defiant in the face of any criticism.

Mr Todd, who is a director at the Transport Action Network, added: "Everyone loves to say for example how the French have built so many more roads than us, or another country has done this. All of those countries operate under similar legislation to us, in terms of environmental rights to challenge decisions if people think they have been wrongly made.

"They've all managed to build their roads within that framework, so really there needs to be some self-reflection (in the UK) about us getting it so wrong in this country, I don't think the problem is down to people objecting to stuff.

"We are much more densely populated than many countries so big infrastructure projects are going to affect a lot more people than in say France. There's a whole gamut of reasons why there are problems.

"What makes me angry is not road rage, it's money rage if you like, it's the fact that we are making bad investment choices that waste money."

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner recently joined the Prime Minister in condemnation of challenges to building projects and vowed that "NIMBYs" won't block her own plan to build 1.5 million new homes across the UK.

She told a Committee of MPs: "I hate losing. I have always been underestimated all my life and I am determined personally not to lose this fight either." Ms Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, insisted the Government had "won the argument" for its massive building programme but admitted many opponents of new housing developments had "genuine concerns" about the impact on local schools and health services.

Watchdog the Office for Budget Responsibility has predicted the Government will miss its target of 1.5 million new homes in England over five years, saying that instead it expects just 1.3 million to be built across the whole of Britain.