Telscombe Cliffs may have to be renamed Telscombe Edge, according to residents who want action to stop further cliff erosion.

There were calls at a public meeting last night for an end to red tape which prevents councils from taking quick action to implement schemes to protect crumbling cliffs.

The meeting at Telscombe Civic Centre was organised by Lewes District Council, which has some of the most spectacular cliffs in Sussex within its boundaries.

In recent months in the Lewes area there have been cliff collapses at Peacehaven, Telscombe Cliffs and inland at Lewes. Elsewhere there have been large falls at Brighton Marina and Beachy Head.

Thousands of tons of chalk have fallen on to undercliff promenades, beaches and into the sea, mostly caused by the unprecedented rainfall last autumn and winter, followed by frosts.

Many of the 40 people at the meeting were concerned at the rate the green cliff top west of The Esplanade, Telscombe Cliffs, was crumbling.

Tom Rose, who lives in The Esplanade, said there had been five collapses in the past two years near his home.

He said: "If something is not done, then Telscombe Cliffs will have to be renamed Telscombe Edge," he said. "The fencing on the cliff top is continually having to be put back."

Mark Smith, of East Saltdean, said more concrete strips to strengthen promenades and more shingle needed to be put at the base of the cliffs.

John Carden, Labour's environment spokesman for the Peacehaven and Telscombe area, called for an end to charity abseils down the cliffs at Peacehaven.

Coun Andrew Small, lead member for planning, said it had already been decided to ban abseiling for a year.

Geoffrey Theobald, the Conservative candidate for Brighton Kemptown said: "It is clear a lot of red tape needs to be torn away so councils like Lewes District can take action quickly to protect their cliffs."

Lindsay Frost, the council's director of planning and environment, told the meeting the budget for repairs to coastal defences was £25,000 year.

To get more money for coastal protection work from central Government funds required "a long and complicated process" in which all councils had to prove the area was worth protecting.

He said many of the cliff falls had occurred at points where there were already good sea defences and inland, which proved the recent spate of falls was not caused by lack of proper sea defences.