Worthing residents are begging civic leaders not to let their town become an "Ibiza on Sea".

Worthing Council has been deluged with letters from people opposing plans by three pub chains to stay open past 11pm.

Protesters fear approval of longer opening hours will open the floodgates for other late-night bars and turn the town into a "mini-Brighton".

Bar Med, which was last month granted planning permission to open a £1 million superpub in a former furniture store in Chapel Road, now wants to serve drinks until midnight.

The Vinter's Parrot, in Warwick Street, wants to triple its capacity from 160 to 560 and open until 1am at weekends.

Yates's Wine Lodge in Chapel Road is going for a midnight licence.

All three applications go before the council's licensing and control committee tomorrow. It will decide whether to award public entertainments licences, paving the way for an application for an extended liquor licence.

People living in the town centre say their lives are already affected by a surge in litter, noise, vandalism and late-night violence.

One objector wrote: "We already suffer from noise and vandalism after closing time. Given the lack of policing are we truly to put up with further disturbance?

"To knowingly encourage an Ibiza-on-Sea here does a great disservice to our town."

Another said: "I had no idea when I moved here a year ago I would suffer so many broken nights' sleep."

One protester wrote: "We already have a problem due to having seven pubs within staggering distance. The debris left in the aftermath of Friday night is atrocious."

Another warned: "The granting of permission to one pub would be the tip of the iceberg."

"If one late-night licence is granted the rest will follow, making Worthing a mini-Brighton. Our lovely town will become a disaster zone."

Police are seeking legal guidance in their efforts to stop late drinking at the new Bar Med, saying the number of pubs has now reached saturation point.

A spokesman for Yates's said noise from the venue should not be a problem - "The premises were purpose-built and noise consultants used throughout."

A spokesman for brewer Greene King, which owns the Vintner's Parrot, said: "It's an understandable concern and one which we will work very hard to resolve."

Council environmental health manager David Bowen said: "We've got six nightclubs which open until 2am but so far no wine bars or pubs in Worthing have a late public entertainments licence.

"Our own staff have some concerns as well as those from the public. The committee will take those representations very seriously."