Hundreds of Brighton shopkeepers are showing troublemakers the red card.

They have been given the cards - similar to those used by football referees - to wave at persistent offenders who have been banned from their property.

If that fails, they can read a warning on the back of the card: "You have one minute to leave. If you do not, I will dial 999 and inform Sussex Police you are trespassing."

The Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) is distributing the cards to its members across the city as part of a crackdown on theft and anti-social behaviour.

The partnership, backed by Sussex Police, has circulated 33 photographs of known troublemakers and served exclusion notices on three people.

BCRP manager Terry Davies said: "When you approach one of these people and you know you are going to get a load of verbal abuse it can be intimidating. These cards will give shopkeepers more confidence to deal with shoplifters because they won't have to worry about remembering their lines."

He is confident the cards will not put shop workers in more danger by winding up criminals.

He said: "Ninety-nine per cent of shoplifters have an alcohol or drug dependency so they need to steal something they can convert into cash quickly to get their fix.

"That is their immediate priority and they have to move quickly. The red card will just give them the message 'don't mess with us' very strongly."

Mr Davies did have concerns the scheme, which is only open to BCRP members, would push the problems away from the city centre to other parts of Brighton.

"We are trying to encourage as many people from Hove and North Laine and other parts of the city to join the BCRP because we are very wary of just shifting the problem around. At the moment the bulk of our members are in St James's Street and London Road."

BCRP member Geoff Dawes, manager of the What Not Shop in St James's Street, Kemp Town, broadly welcomed the red card idea. He said: "I have seen the official warning written down somewhere but I am sure I wouldn't remember it in a real situation, so that could be helpful. I would only use it when I thought it was appropriate."

Tuesday August 31, 2004