Two social workers criticised over the death of a four-year-old boy have been sacked.

David Pamely and John Barrow saw horrendous injuries on the boy during a nine-month period while he was in the care of his adoptive parents.

No attempt was made to rescue him.

Brighton and Hove City Council held disciplinary hearings during the past two weeks and in a short statement today said they had "determined that two social workers should be dismissed from the council's employment with immediate effect".

The council added: "These matters are governed by procedural confidentiality and no further comment can be made."

The local government union Unison has insisted the two social workers were being used as scapegoats and it has threatened strike action.

The union was unavailable for comment today but a city branch secretary earlier told The Argus: "If disciplinary action is taken against our colleagues Unison will ballot members for strike action."

Colleagues of the sacked workers last October occupied the offices of then social services director Allan Bowman in support of Mr Pamely and Mr Barrow.

The two were suspended following the death of John Smith on Christmas Eve 1999.

The boy had 54 injuries on his body, including bite marks.

His adoptive parents, Simon and Michelle McWilliam, of Fishersgate, Southwick, were later jailed for eight years for cruelty.

They are appealing against the sentences.

John's injuries were seen by the social workers but the court heard there was no attempt to rescue him from the McWilliams.

The workers were criticised in an independent inquiry but both claimed they had been hoodwinked by the McWilliams into believing the boy had been harming himself.

Both men broke down in tears when they gave evidence during the McWilliams' trial.

They testified how they saw bruises, a black eye, facial burns and finger marks on John's face but that no attempt was made to take him into care.

They said they believed the McWilliams' lies that he inflicted the injuries himself.

Unison claimed social workers were overloaded and the service was suffering because of staff cutbacks.

Alyson Leslie, an independent investigator who wrote a report on the John Smith case, said of Mr Pamely: "His ability to weigh conflicting messages and to analyse and respond sharply to situations was impaired by the workload pressures he had been experiencing."

Neither Mr Pamely nor Mr Barrow were available for comment today.