A conman is travelling through Sussex cheating shopkeepers out of cash.

The fraudster wheedled money out of three businesses in Worthing on Monday afternoon and has already struck in Brighton, Littlehampton, Arundel, Angmering and Lancing.

In the scam, a man calls a shop pretending to be a shopkeeper from a neighbouring business which is closed for the day.

He says an urgent package is being delivered but he cannot get back in time to collect it.

He asks the victim to collect the package and pay a fee for delivery.

Later a courier arrives with what looks like a genuine package and asks for payments of between £50 and £75.

Ryan Mayo, licensee at the Thomas A'Beckett pub in Rectory Road, Worthing, was tricked into giving the courier conman £75.

He said: "I am angry I was conned, usually I pick them off quickly. I've been doing this for a long time and I've seen a few scams.

"It all depends on friendship and trust between businesses. That's what they are exploiting."

The courier said he had driven from London with urgent legal papers that needed to be collected.

The package carried official-looking stamps but was empty.

Diane Young, owner of Eclipse hairdressers in Rectory Road, Worthing, was stung by the same scam.

A man called pretending to be the husband of Maureen Ross, who runs the Fantasia Fancy Dress shop in the same parade.

She said: "He said he was stuck in Bognor and would we get a package for him, but it would need paying for. My daughter said if it arrived before we closed we would take it.

"When he arrived he said there was £59 to pay. He said it was legal documents and he was a courier from London.

"We paid the money but then Maureen said she knew nothing about it.

"We were just trying to help a friend and I am really angry about it."

Daughter Kellie Young said: "It was very convincing. He had the right names for the fancy dress shop. It was quite upsetting when we realised what had happened. We just thought we were helping out."

Mrs Ross said: "She came in thinking she had done me a favour and I said I was afraid it was a con.

"It couldn't happen in the big shops, only in smaller parades where people are neighbourly and try to help each other out."

The courier is about 30-years-old, 5ft 8in tall, with short dark hair, wearing a dark work suit.

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: "We are warning shopkeepers to be wary and to report any suspicious behaviour."

Anybody with information about the conman or his accomplice is asked to call the police on 0845 6070999.