Two door-to-door salesmen have been sacked for teaching children how to find porn on the internet.

Boys and girls playing outside their homes were approached by agents touting services for web firm Tiscali.

The children, aged ten to 13, were asked which porn sites they had visited.

Two of the men then recommended their favourite X-rated addresses.

One mother today described her shock when her ten-year-old son returned home and asked: "Mummy, what are prawn sites?"

The youngsters were told how to wipe a computer's memory to cover their tracks. They were also pointed in the direction of web sites which feature extreme violence.

The sales reps spent a day canvassing addresses in Langney, Eastbourne, leaving a trail of confused youngsters.

Mother-of-three Danielle Stammers, 29, whose ten-year-old son was approached, said: "When he came home he said to me, 'Mummy, what are prawn sites?' I had a bit of a chuckle to myself but at the same time I still felt very angry.

"I'm a strict but open-minded parent who is never afraid to discuss anything with my children. But some of the stuff the children were rattling off when we questioned them about it was absolutely disgusting.

"They had been asked what porn sites they visited, what they had seen and recommended a particular wrestling site with sick footage."

One parent confronted the men, aged in their 20s and early 30s, but was told it was the children who had instigated talk about porn web sites.

Mrs Stammers, who works for a language school, said: "The man was told that he was the adult, that he should not have elaborated and should not have advised them on how to clear the computer memory.

"Most of the sales reps were in their 20s but one man admitted to being 35. I was absolutely gobsmacked.

"You cannot wrap your children up in cotton wool but I don't want to be put in a position where I have to explain to my ten-year-old son about things like this."

Mrs Stammers has received a telephoned apology from Tiscali who said the reps were employed via a sales company.

A Tiscali spokesman said two of the salesmen had now been dismissed.

Information has been passed to Eastbourne police to see whether there are grounds for prosecution. A training review will now take place for staff to ensure no repeat of the scandal.

In a statement, Tiscali said: "Tiscali was appalled by this report and considers any activity that does not uphold our values and standards extremely seriously.

"In this area we have been working with a sales business that came with strong recommendations and we have never had any issues of this nature.

"However, we consider this matter so serious that we terminated our relationship with the company immediately. They have carried out a full investigation and we understand that as a result two agents have been dismissed.

"The matter is now in the hands of the police in Eastbourne and we have passed on all the information we have."