Doorstep criminals have been banished from a cul-de-sac after it was declared a No Cold Calling Zone.

Following concerns about rogue traders in Jobes, Balcombe, near Haywards Heath, 'no cold calling' signs have been put up to deter them and an alarm system introduced so the vulnerable can summon trading standards officers if unscheduled callers turn up.

Police visited every resident and found many had been preyed upon by unwanted callers posing from everything from antiques traders, meter readers and duster sellers.

Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator Jim Cooke said: "Not all of these callers had legitimate business in mind and a number of the most vulnerable had been victims of doorstep criminals.

"Officers discovered some residents had been a victim of crime on their doorstep but had been too ashamed to report it or admit to having become a victim of a scam."

Other No Cold Calling zones have been set up across Sussex.