Business owners have blamed crime for a drop in income.

A survey carried out by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in the South-East asked businesses in Hastings, Brighton, Worthing, Dover, Medway towns, Reading and Worthing how crime affected their ventures.

Figures revealed 30 per cent of respondents believed between £1,000 and £9,999 was lost annually because of crime.

Eight per cent put this figure between £10,000 and £49,000.

Three quarters of those who replied, 176 owners, said they were concerned about the risk to their businesses from offences such as vandalism, verbal abuse, burglary and theft.

Ken Stevens, regional organiser for the South-East, based in Polegate, said: "This report clearly identifies the need for police forces to treat business crime as a priority issue. Our report identifies that, for many small businesses, offences such as verbal abuse, vandalism and theft are becoming commonplace.

"If the problems highlighted in this report are not addressed as a matter of priority, business crime will continue to have a severe impact on small firms' profitability, deterring investment and destroying staff moral."

Respondents believed most crimes were committed between 6pm and 8am, outside normal business hours.