Independent video shops are staging a rebellion against movie giants who want to stop them renting top films.

Traders warn they could be forced out of business by the film heavyweights' tactics, leaving their customers with little or no choice but to buy videos instead.

It could end the trend for hundreds of people nipping to their local video store to grab a movie for a quiet night in.

Stores in Brighton and Hove have been risking the wrath of distributors such as Warner Brothers by defying their new rules on renting.

Traders have also threatened boycotts of films produced by firms such as Warner.

Traditionally, new releases were made available just to rent for about six months before going on general sale.

However, five major distributors have now decided to release films such as Chicago and Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets for rental and general sale simultaneously.

While retail copies of videos cost dealers between £6 and £10 apiece, they are being charged up to £50 for copies of the same films for rental purposes.

Rental shops have rebelled against the tactics and tried to avoid the higher charges by stocking retail copies but renting them out, although the distributors have placed "Not for rental" messages on the cases and before the films start.

Some stores have included typed leaflets inside video boxes, explaining the stance of campaign group Video Independents Protecting Rentals (VIPR).

Adam Fisher, of Elm Grove, who found a leaflet in his rented copy of Two Weeks' Notice, said: "I appreciate where they are coming from but I was angered by the fact the shop charged me full price for something that presumably would cost them a fraction of what it would normally."

Video Box, which has 15 stores across Sussex, inserted the pamphlets inside its tape boxes but this week removed them all after opening talks with the distributors about a possible compromise.

Roger Noel, the firm's owner, said they were supporting VIPR's stance but could not discuss the issue further because of possible legal wrangles.

Chris Ede, owner of Videostar, which has five rental-only shops in Brighton and Hove, said: "Thousands of people still love going to shops and renting videos. I don't understand the logic behind what these distributors are doing."

Mike Solomon, owner of Enterprise Videos in London Road, Brighton, has been in the business for 24 years but now only sells videos and DVDs.

He said: "I'm very worried about the rental industry. What with the dominance of Blockbuster and the loss of rentals, times could be very tough."

Steve Shesby, of rental traders' association Movie Zone, said: "Video stores will continue to stock the big films they have to but won't stock many other releases so consumers won't have as much choice."

Possible reasons suggested for the distributors' approach include fear of video and DVD piracy and the desire to keep advertising budgets down by marketing rental and sale releases simultaneously.

Earlier this year rentals market leader Blockbuster announced a boycott of all Warner Brothers films but backed down after coming to undisclosed new arrangements.

Warners were the first firm to scrap the rental window, with Twentieth Century Fox following suit earlier this year.

VIPR is urging traders to write protest letters to Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) or sign an online petition at www.vipr.org.uk An OFT spokeswoman said: "No individual distributor is in a dominant position in the market and there is no evidence of collusion or a breach of the Competition Act."