Two busy city centre streets in Brighton and Hove could be made one-way to crack down on law-breaking drivers.

The city council is considering the measures for parts of Western Road and North Street.

Cars may also be banned altogether from Western Road between the Clock Tower and Montpelier Road to reduce congestion and allow better access for buses and taxis.

Existing rules bar cars from the street between 8am and 6pm but are often flouted, causing anger among bus and taxi drivers.

Under the new plans, traffic will travel along Western Road only in an east-to-west direction with car users redirected along the seafront or Upper North Street.

A contraflow lane would be created to allow buses and taxis to move in both directions once inside the zone.

Designating the area one-way would enable a no-entry sign to be put up at the Clock Tower end to give motorists a clear message.

The council is also considering installing a no-entry sign at the Montpelier Road end of the street.

A council spokeswoman said: "We are looking to provide a scheme in Western Road which enhances the existing bus-priority measures making it more bus-friendly.

"There are laws at the moment which restrict cars and we want to improve on those. The plans are at an embryonic stage.

"We have no definite plans but making the street one-way is one of the options being considered."

Similar moves are being discussed which would make North Street one-way in a west-to-east direction.

Roger French, managing director of the Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company, said: "This is the best idea the council has come up with for many years.

"Hopefully it will finally sort out the problems we have had in getting effective signs at either end of Western Road warning people it is a bus-and-taxi-only zone.

"It will be a great improvement and clarify the situation for everybody.

"Making North Street one-way is also very welcome. With fewer cars clogging up the road, passengers will get a better deal because buses will run on time."

Tony Mernagh, executive director of Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, said: "These plans were borne out of an effort to stop the illegal movement of traffic and improve the efficiency of the sustainable transport policy."

However, not all traders welcomed the scheme.

Steve Collins, who has run Allsorts newsagents in North Street for 13 years, said it would be unfair on his car-driving customers.

He said: "The council has to wake up to the fact that the business community pays a very large proportion towards the running of the city and the centre needs to be busy and bustling.

"When there are roadworks and I cannot physically see traffic going past my shop, it can affect the number of people shopping here."