Traders who place A-boards in shopping precincts face a crackdown.

Sharon Clarke, manager of Worthing Town Centre Initiative, has warned shopkeepers they will be subject to a blitz by West Sussex County Council.

She has been told the council is planning to remove A-boards after a member of the public tripped over one and was injured.

The initiative is now looking at installing hanging signs, similar to those outside pubs, to replace ground-level life-size silhouettes of Victorian characters, which were difficult to update when shops moved out of a particular parade.

Up to seven poles bearing hanging signs are now proposed but they cost up to £1,000 each and traders are reluctant to help pay for them.

The initiative hopes cash from the new outdoor market in Montague Street will meet the cost.