Wardens are planning a clampdown on illegal parking in a popular shopping street in the city.

George Street in Hove is a pedestrian precinct during the day but some motorists get there early and overstay the limit.

Brighton and Hove City Council's transport councillor Simon Battle said: "This blitz will mark the start of tougher enforcement of parking in the street, in particular targeting motorists who overstay the one-hour parking limit.

"I'd like to get the street free of traffic by 11am each day so here's hoping."

Coun Battle and other local councillors Betty Walshe and Frieda Warman-Brown have been asking the authority to take action for several months.

He said: "We have tried to keep signage such as yellow lines to a minimum to reduce street clutter and enhance appearance.

"However, the downside of this is we have had to wait to get special permission to enforce the restrictions as effectively as we would like from the Government."

There was controversy when George Street was made into a pedestrian precinct for an experimental period during the day, with some businesses saying they were losing custom.

But the scheme was made permanent following a public inquiry and the council carried out environmental improvements to make it more pleasant.

The precinct only operates for a limited period during the day so drivers can get in early and late.

Trouble is caused when drivers overstay their parking limits in the morning.

Coun Battle added: "The curse of the overstayers should hopefully be near an end.

"I think infringements into the pedestrianised time period have undermined the environmental improvements.

"Increased enforcement should set things back on track.

"I also think better enforcement will improve pedestrian safety."