A drinker had a glass thrown into her face - raising fears of a renewed wave of weekend violence.

Trainee solicitor Claire Webb, 24, was dancing in The Toad pub in Chapel Road, Worthing, when the pint mug hit her friend's shoulder and ricocheted into her face just before closing time on Saturday.

Although the glass did not smash, she has been left shocked and with a painfully swollen left eye and scratched eyeball.

Ms Webb was injured just 24 hours before a brawl outside a nearby hotel and town centre workers warned last night that drink related disorder had turned the town centre into a no-go area for many of their employees.

Ms Webb, who was visiting her parents in Evelyn Road, in Worthing's Broadwater area, said: "I always think of Worthing as being a pensioners' haven and yet you find so many fights going on down there, it's unbelievable at the moment.

"I just can't believe what happened. They must have thrown it with some real force for it to hit my friend's shoulder and then me. If it had broken it's not even worth thinking about.

"It's incredibly painful because it hit me on the side of my eye and it's quite a delicate place.

"When you just go out for a drink with some friends, you don't expect to have to take at least two days off work because of getting hurt."

Ms Webb had been meeting four old school friends. She had not been feeling well earlier in the day and was drinking water when she was hit.

The force of the blow sent her reeling and she was caught by a bouncer standing behind her.

On Sunday night, a man was taken to hospital with serious head, chest and leg injuries after a brawl between several men outside the Burlington Hotel, in Marine Parade, Worthing.

Paramedics had to treat him at the scene before taking him to Worthing Hospital in a stable condition.

A Burlington Hotel spokeswoman said: "None of our staff were involved and we don't know exactly what happened. We're just waiting for the police to carry out their investigation."

Lyn Roberts, who owns A To B Taxis in Brighton Road, with her husband, Jon, said violence has gradually escalated.

She said: "It has been creeping up over the past few years. You don't want to be at the Clock Tower at 2am when everyone is fighting for a cab."

Violent crime in Worthing increased by ten per cent last year, according to the Home Office. But police argue the figure is skewed by changes in the logging of reported crime.

Their own figures show violent crime has fallen by 2.4 per cent in the past 12 months.

Worthing district commander Chief Inspector Jason Taylor said: "When I came here last year, violent crime was one of the main concerns for the public. The police, the local authority and the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, have worked closely to resolve this problem, which is why Worthing is the only place to see a fall in violent crime levels."