All they wanted to do was help their fishy friends get safely home but instead they sent them on a one-way journey to the aquarium in the sky.

Scores of children have fallen in love with a colourful clownfish called Nemo whose animated adventures are proving a big hit at the cinema box office.

Youngsters have been badgering their parents into buying real-life versions of their favourite character.

In the film, Nemo plans to escape from his fish tank and head back to sea by being flushed down the loo.

But the scene has been recreated in households across the United States with scores of the orange and white fish being flushed to their deaths.

Now animal experts are taking action to ensure Sussex youngsters do not copy their American counterparts.

Staff at the Sea Life Centre in Brighton have come to the rescue by recreating the movie scene in a tropical display tank. It contains real clownfish and other coral reef fish featured in the film.

Peter Jones, a marine expert at the centre, said: "We'll be doing our best to ensure British children realise that it's not a good idea given that our sewage system, when it leads to the sea at all, doesn't lead to warm, tropical waters."

A spokeswoman for Southern Water said it would be almost impossible for any fish to survive a journey down the toilet and into the sewers in Sussex.

The Finding Nemo feature at the Sea Life Centre will be on display until November 3.

Mr Jones said: "It is also likely many people will be tempted to try to set up their own tropical marine fish tanks.

"We'll be doing our best to dissuade all but the most dedicated hobbyists from such a course because tropical marine species are the most difficult to look after."