Company bosses will come together at a meeting of the Burgess Hill Business Group later this month to discuss ways of dealing with vandals.

The meeting will provide an opportunity for traders to raise a variety of concerns from break ins and thefts to vandalism which cost business many thousands of pounds a year The meeting will be staged at the £13 million Triangle Leisure Centre in Jane Murray Way, on 17 November.

The Group hopes to use the meeting to strengthen its links with the Burgess Hill Town Centre Strategy Group, the local Chamber of Commerce and also police.

Group spokeswoman Susan Fleet said: "Membership of the group is open to every business in the town and we are trying to let as many of the know about the plans as quickly as possible.

"This is the first time we have opened everything out to such a wide membership and we are hopeful of success."

The group says it also hopes to develop initiatives to help the town's economy and has sent out a questionnaire to businesses to find out their concerns. Some issues already identified include parking and traffic congestion in the rush hours and on Saturdays.

Two years ago traders joined forces to defeat proposals to pedestrianise Church Road in Burgess Hill, claiming the scheme would ruin business and cause traffic problems.

Town centre newsagent Tony Brown welcomed the idea of the group and said: "There a lot of people here who have had problems like vandalism. Anything that can help deal with the problems would be of great help."

In the most recent attack of vandalism two charity shops and a snack bar were attacked. Traders believe youngsters of about 14 or under may be responsible but police have not yet identified them.