It may seem like an ordinary road sign but to proud villagers it is robbing them of a piece of their history.

The Highways Agency has erected a bold notice welcoming visitors to Lancing - but has stuck it right in the middle of its neighbouring village.

Parish councillors in Sompting, who believe theirs is the oldest settlement in the area, are affronted that their territory has been invaded.

They say motorists are confused and it has blurred the lines between the two places, which have distinct identities.

Lancing, by contrast to Sompting, is one of the biggest villages in England with a variety of modern shops and businesses.

Barry Mear, chairman of Sompting Parish Council and the longest-serving councillor, said the sign was "smack in the middle of Sompting".

Coun Mear said there was a long-running feeling that Sompting was ignored in favour of its bigger neighbour, which doesn't start until Boundstone Lane.

He said: "It infuriates me when people write 'Sompting, Lancing'. It isn't Lancing it is Sompting.

"They seem to think of us as being stuck on the end before you get to Adur, which we are not.

"Sompting dates back to pre-Saxon days. We were here before Lancing and before Worthing. The church itself is Saxon. Saxon churches were built of wood but it is built of stone. Only important churches were built of stone.

"We also have the Templars. I think Sompting is mentioned in the Domesday Book.

"We were here before any of the settlements around here, I think including Brighton."

This year for the first time the Pride of Sompting, an award for someone who has made a contribution to the village, was given out. There is also an annual Sompting In Bloom competition.

For years a more modern part of Sompting, erected in the Thirties, has been known to purists as "Mickey Mouse town", reputedly because it looks like the bungalows pictured in the Walt Disney films of the same time.

Coun Mear said: "There is a pride in Sompting. It is a lovely place. I think it is a nicer place to live. We have more of an identity. I suppose Lancing people feel the same way.

"We have got the old Saxon church, there is a lot of history. It is very interesting listening to what took place here and what it was.

"I really love the village."

Fellow councillor Tim Clarke said: "When I first saw the sign I couldn't believe it. It is half a mile from the boundary. All this sign will achieve is to confuse motorists.

"A centre of a community is identifying yourself with where you live.

"I like the area I live and I identify myself with it."

Councillor Joyce Burns said: "We have had this in the past.

"Sompting is always being pushed out for Lancing. It is so built up in the last few years. We want it to be correct."

Richard Wickens, Lancing's parish clerk, said: "If you live locally you know where the boundary is. It basically runs up Western Road and Upper Boundstone Lane.

"We are talking about two different communities. We have got a separate identity. People relate to their community.

"Lancing is bigger and it has all the modern shops. There is more of a parochial feel in Sompting."

Christopher Kemp, vice- chairman of Lancing Parish Council, said he was sure no harm was meant by the sign's location. He intended to raise the matter with Mr Wickens.

He said: "I am sure we in Lancing wouldn't wish to make any sort of claim or put their noses out of joint at all.

"I'm sure it isn't with any evil intention."

A Highways Agency spokeswoman said West Sussex County Council had been consulted about the location of the sign in 2001. She said: "We were advised that was where the boundary is."

A spokesman for West Sussex County Council said it had no record of the discussion, but it may not have been safe to put it right on the boundary. He said the council had no objection to the sign being moved by the Highways Agency.

He said: "If Sompting and Lancing feel it is in the wrong place and agree a position, that is fine by us."