Public transport will grind to a halt as bus drivers go on strike during two of England's World Cup group games.

Thousands of fans are expected to leave their cars at home and take alternative transport to Eastbourne's numerous pubs to watch the national side take on Trinidad and Tobago and Sweden.

But Eastbourne Buses workers are to stage 24-hour walkouts on June 15 and 20 over pay and conditions.

Publicans warned last night the action could lead to drink-driving after the matches.

Mark Smith, 36, landlord of the Alexandra Arms, in Seaside, said: "This will inconvenience quite a lot of our customers.

"We have a bus stop right outside and about five per cent of the punters use the bus on a regular basis to get here.

"Obviously on World Cup days the pub will be chock-a-block so I guess taxis will be loaded up.

"But you could get people taking a chance and driving, so this is not great news."

Members of the Transport and General Workers' Union which is behind the action, are asking for their hourly rate to go up from £7.80 to £9 - in line with drivers in Brighton and Hove.

They accused the company of wasting money through poor financial management and a culture of bullying which led to a high turnover of staff.

The union last night released a statement accusing Eastbourne Buses of:

l constantly altering routes and cutting journey times;

discarding thousands of pounds worth of uniforms after deciding to change its logo;

wasting money on branding by painting different coloured stripes on buses depending on the route they take.

When buses break down customers are left waiting if there is no replacement bus available with the same coloured stripe, the union said.

A spokeswoman said: "Members are also angry that a new post has been created for a person to stand in Terminus Road to answer customers' queries which has attracted a higher salary than the drivers who are responsible for up to 70 people's lives.

"Staff that used to be consulted over changes to routes, duties and make-up of rotas are now just handed them at short notice and expected to change their family lives to suit."

Sharon Wentworth, T&G regional industrial organiser, said: "Our members feel short-changed by Eastbourne Buses.

"They also feel they and the travelling public are being taken for granted as they see a company which was once a good employer and served the public well being slowly run into the ground.

"The staff at Eastbourne Buses are a decent, loyal, hard-working bunch of individuals who have now had enough of what they see as a bullying style of management.

"Staff are leaving in their droves. Regular passengers will notice the amount of new faces behind the wheel. Training costs must have spiralled astronomically but the management seems oblivious to the reason why."

The first strike is due to start at midnight next Thursday, lasting through Thursday to midnight on Friday.

One bus driver said: "We don't want to do this. We want to sit down and talk to management and work something out.

"But they are refusing to even talk for two minutes."

Eastbourne Buses managing director Steve Barnett said: "I am saddened by the decision reached by a small percentage of our workforce to take industrial action in relation to the offer of a four per cent pay increase.

"From 165 staff employed, of those eligible to ballot, only 64 out of 116 returned a vote and just over half of those favour planned stoppages on June 15 and 20."

The union said almost all bus drivers had voted, almost 70 per cent, for some kind of action and just over 50 per cent for a strike.