A plan to abolish traffic wardens and replace them with council-employed parking attendants has been described as "a money making racket".

West Sussex County Council has signed an agreement to "decriminalise" parking - taking it away from the police - and introduce controlled parking zones in Worthing, sparking fears that motorists will soon face a barrage of fines and higher parking charges.

Worthing borough councillor Bob Smytherman said: "It is simply a money making racket for the county council.

"It will mean there will be no places to park in the town because at the moment we all know we can go and park on a yellow line for a few seconds if we nip into a shop.

"If we're not obstructing anyone - it's not a problem. But under this new regime, within seconds of doing that we will be fined, or worse, clamped and fined."

Under the agreement signed by the county council and Worthing Borough Council, both organisations will take over parking enforcement responsibility.

It is understood that enforcement will take place across the town but those opposed to it say the town centre will be affected most because of the sheer volume of traffic.

One shop owner, who did not want to be named, said: "To my mind it's going to take business away from us because I don't think people will be able to park as easy at they can at the moment.

"It might not work out like that in practice but that's the fear at the moment."

There will be up to 64 new pay and display machines placed across the town and the county council said "all lines and signs will be reviewed".

However there has already been complaints from Worthing residents about the controlled parking zones, which will also be set up across the town.

More than 20,000 consultation letters were sent out in the town, with many being sent back by disgruntled residents grumbling about the plan.

In other locations where parking has been decriminalised, such as Brighton and Hove, the response has been mixed.

Supporters say it frees up police time and improves the availability of parking spaces through proper enforcement.

But campaigners have complained that the millions of pounds in extra fines dealt out every year in Brighton and Hove cause resentment.

West Sussex County Council said a public meeting could still be held if more residents oppose the scheme.

Speaking after the meeting at which the agreement was signed, Coun Irene Richards said: "The meeting gave residents another opportunity not only to hear about plans to tackle the hot issue of parking in Worthing, but also to give us their views on the topic."