Tanya Sassoon knows a thing or two about badly behaved boyfriends.

In fact she knows so much about their appalling time keeping, inability to say sorry and use of terms such as "top totty", that she has produced the Boyfriend Training Kit.

Tanya, 24, came up with the idea during her final year as a graphic design student at the University of Brighton and believes the kit could give Brighton blokes "a kick up the bum".

Her inspiration came from a blazing row with her boyfriend Marc and the laid-back attitude she found prevalent among the men in the city.

She had been suffering a creative block before her life-changing argument with Marc in 1999.

After giving him a piece of her mind, she stormed into university and wrote a list of things that annoyed her about him and men in general.

It heralded the end of her creative block, though fortunately not her relationship as Marc is still a constant channel of research.

The list of gripes soon evolved into kitsch kits, complete with yellow warning stickers, gold stars for good behaviour and a score strategy.

Points are deducted from the boyfriend's score book for such irritating foibles as mentioning the words "tantrum" or "time of the month", and going on a boys' night out.

Points are occasionally awarded for bringing home flowers or being helpful when shopping for clothes.

Tanya produced 100 packs in her final year before travelling around the world. She left 70 of them with the Institute of Contemporary Art in London.

When she returned from her travels she was amazed to learn they had sold out.

Three years on from her row with Marc, her kits have been snapped up by the Bloomsbury publishing house.

Tanya, who now lives in London, has a tongue-in-cheek attitude to her creation and sees it as an ironic form of art rather than a Bible for hard-done-by girlfriends.

She said: "Its main function is to make people not take themselves too seriously. It lets men know things they do that annoy women. And because it's funny and not her nagging, it might make it an easier pill for them to swallow.

"It also allows women to have a laugh and see why men get annoyed when we ask them what we should wear.

"People find it funny when I say it all started because of an argument, but I think positive things can come out of arguments - although admittedly not usually a publishing deal."

Marc's annoying habits have been an inspiration for Tanya, but she insists she would not seriously want to train him.

She said: "There are lots of small annoying things that men do, like not using the telephone to let you know they'll be late.

"An inability to say sorry and admit it's their fault is also very irritating. It's like they think they've lost. A tiny effort on their part can mean so much and I don't think they realise that.

"Marc was part of my research, although I can't even remember what the row was about that sparked all this off.

"He's quite chuffed about how it has turned out. He takes no notice of the kit, though, which is good. I wouldn't want him to pitter-patter around me because of it.

"It's debatable who's the boss in our relationship. I let him think he is sometimes."

Tanya was born and bred in London and has noticed a quirk particular to Brighton men.

She said: "Brighton men seem slightly more laid back and less into commitment. This kit could give them a kick up the bum."

The Boyfriend Training Kit is available from bookshops or at www.trainingkits.co.uk