A mother was horrified to see film posters showing graphic images of a

zombie child put up outside schools.

Tracy Jones said the adverts for the 18-certificate film Dawn Of The Dead were grotesque and were frightening children.

The film, released in the UK last Friday, is a remake of George Romero's 1979 movie of the same name and is being advertised to cinema-goers with the line: "When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth."

The movie tells the story of a worldwide plague, which produces flesh-hungry zombies.

Posters advertising the film appeared across Sussex in the build-up to its release and feature the image of a child's face with evil-looking eyes.

Mrs Jones, 37, of Bannings Vale, Saltdean, said: "These posters are really hideous. They're disgusting.

"It's scary and inappropriate to be put them up outside primary schools or a church.

"These posters are not appropriate for where they have been put. They are revolting."

She first spotted the posters on bus stops near Saltdean County Primary School in Chiltington Way, Saltdean.

The school is attended by two of her six children, eight-year-old Luke and ten-year-old Holly.

She spotted other posters outside Our Lady of Lourdes School in Rottingdean High Street and another near St Nicholas Pre-School in Saltdean Vale, Saltdean.

She was so incensed she called the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) and Adshel, the firm which owns the bus shelters.

Housewife Mrs Jones, whose youngest child Lillie is eight months old, said: "My children can read.

"How do you explain to them about zombie children and the Dawn Of The Dead?

"The posters should be put in a more appropriate place."

An ASA spokesman said it had received 28 complaints about the posters from across the UK since March 17.

He said: "We will look at the nature of all the complaints before making a ruling.

"Generally we only make a ruling on the offensiveness of the poster, not the siting.

"People can contact us about the location or contact the poster distributors directly about the siting of the posters and they will look at the suitability of the site."

An Adshel spokeswoman said it had already taken down some of the film posters in other areas across Britain where people had complained.

The rest were due to be removed soon anyway.

She said: "Our advertisers take a decision on where they want posters located.

"We do look at appropriateness of location but I cannot confirm whether this was done in this case."