Millions of pounds could be spent protecting the coastline so homes and businesses do not flood in the future.

Experts are recommending spending £10 million on improving coastal defences between the beaches at Kemp Town and Shoreham Harbour.

They say another £6 million should be spent on strengthening the east bank of the River Adur between the Old Shoreham Road and the estuary.

Plans are being displayed at an exhibition on how to stop flooding over more than seven miles of coastline.

Brighton and Hove City Council, Adur Council and the Environment Agency last year commissioned engineering consultants to assess sea defences between the Marina and the River Adur.

They came up with options to protect the coast for the next 50 years, taking into account factors such as climate change and shingle movement. Over the years shingle has been taken from beaches at Shoreham, Southwick and Hove and deposited on beaches in Kemp Town.

Normally shingle drifts from west to east, but it is prevented from moving any farther by the arms of Shoreham Harbour and the walls of the marina.

According to a report: "The easterly movement of shingle down the coastline has resulted in increasingly large beaches at Kemp Town."

Another recommendation is that groynes should be strengthened, particularly at the Hove end and that a new one should be built at Portslade. Without added protection, there is a danger defences would be breached, particularly in Shoreham and Southwick.

This could result in flooding of major structures such as Shoreham Power Station and the sewage works, which have both been recently built.

Any breach of the river wall could result in flooding of parts of Shoreham close to it and of low-lying parts of Southwick.

The cost of this flooding could be more than £80 million and would be far higher than the cost of sea defence work.

Most of the money from any sea defence schemes would be paid for by the Government provided it agreed the work was needed.

It has already provided millions, which is being spent on defences between Saltdean and the Marina.

Consultants said the Marina itself needed more work with defences on the inner harbour wall but the cost would have to be met privately.

Global warming, resulting in rising sea levels and increased violent storms, increases the risk of flooding.

Experts say doing nothing is not an option but they want to get public support.

The exhibition is on display at the seafront office on the Lower Promenade opposite King's West and the swimming pool reception area of the King Alfred Leisure Centre until Monday.