Thousands of pubs across Sussex face a ban on serving booze for failing to comply with new licensing laws.

Figures show only a fraction of the thousands of pubs, clubs and restaurants in the county have applied to convert their existing licences or apply for new ones despite a looming deadline.

Sussex Police fear they may have to shut down dozens of venues when new laws switching ing responsibility for licensing from magistrates to local councils come into force.

If the trickle of applications carries on at its present rate, the number of unlicensed pubs could run into thousands.

Party city Brighton and Hove depends heavily on income from pubs and clubs but the city council has so far received only 32 applications from an estimated 1,000 licensed premises.

In East Sussex, Wealden District Council has received just over 100 applications out of a total of 1,500 premises and Eastbourne Borough Council has received four out of 450. Rother District Council has received just 107 applications out of 650 premises.

In West Sussex, Arun District Council has received 20 out of 500, Crawley Borough Council has received six out of 240, Worthing Borough Council has received ten out of about 350, Adur District Council has received 14 out of 300 and Chichester District Council has received eight applications out of 600 premises.

Licensing officers all over Sussex fear a last-minute deluge of applications.

That could leave officers swamped under a mountain of paperwork which they could struggle to process in time.

Any pub or club that applies before the deadline of August 6 and which is not seeking changes to its current licence conditions will automatically have its licence converted.

But those who miss the August deadline will have to apply for a new licence from scratch - a process which takes up to two months.

Landlords have been warned of the risks of failing to comply with the new legislation which begins in November.

But only a handful have heeded the advice, even though local authorities began inviting applications in February.

Jeane Lepper, chairwoman of Brighton and Hove City Council's licensing committee, said there was a high chance of many drinkers being left high and dry in November, which could seriously damage the city's economy.

She said: "Anyone who has not applied to convert their existing licence by August 6 is likely to be unable by law to sell or provide alcohol from November when the new regulations are due to fully take effect."

Coun Kevin Allen, outgoing member of Brighton and Hove's licensing committee, said the committee had been surprised by the failure of landlords to apply for the new licenses.

He said: "All of us have been on stand-by to sit on panels for two or three months and we expected a flood of applications but nothing has materialised."

Coun Allen warned of the danger of pubs being left without licenses by November.

Brighton and Hove licensing officer Coreen Plympton said her unit had expected to be fielding 300 applications a week by now but numbers coming in were significantly lower.

Ms Plympton said: "Some licensees find the forms too complicated but we are trying to assist them as much as we can."

She warned: "If the worst came to the worst then Sussex Police would have to shut down potentially dozens of pubs and clubs in the city which failed to obtain the new licence."

The same picture was reflected in other parts of the county.

One licensing officer said: "You could be looking at thousands of Sussex outlets being shut down."

Neil Hayward, operations director at the Robin Hood pub in Norfolk Place, Brighton, said a lot of licensees were burying their heads in the sand.

He said: "It is a phenomenally bureaucratic process. The paperwork I have to go through is unbelievable. People are putting the problem on the back burner. I think everybody will apply in July and August, and it will be chaos."

Even premises not applying under the Licensing Act 2003 to stay open later than 11pm must apply to convert their existing licence to the local authority.