Professional shoplifters are to be barred from most stores in Brighton town centre by the end of next month.

An exclusion zone, expected to include about 80 shops, is being set up in an effort to crack down on persistent thieves.

A name and shame list of persistent shoplifters is being drawn up by the Town Centre Business Forum and Brighton Retail Crime Initiative, who are leading the project in consultation with Sussex Police.

An exclusion notice listing all the no-go shops will be served on those named by members of the retail crime initiative.

Participating shopkeepers will be provided with photographs and names of those barred, who will be guilty of trespassing under civil law if they enter the premises.

This week, brochures inviting the 80 members of the Retail Crime Initiative to take part are being sent out and the scheme is expected to be running by the end of September.

It is hoped more stores will take part by joining the retail crime initiative.

Town centre manager Tony Mernagh said: "If a person enters a store where they are excluded they will immediately be asked to leave, whether they have committed an offence or not.

"There are large areas of the town centre where although they can roam the streets they cannot go into the buildings any more and this will hit persistent shoplifters hard."

Mr Mernagh said: "There are known characters in the town centre who take up a large amount of police and security staff time, steal large amounts of goods and make the area feel less safe."

Mr Mernagh said if a person was taken to court for theft and had also broken an exclusion order that would be viewed as an aggravating circumstance and could mean a harsher sentence.

Breaking an order could also change a theft to a more serious charge of burglary.

The name and shame list is being drawn up on the advice of shop owners and security staff in consultation with the police and will be reviewed every three months.

Mr Mernagh stressed it was only the most persistent thieves who would be named.