A popular children's paddling pool has been closed because of fears rats could spread a fatal disease to youngsters.

Several dead rats have been found floating in the pool near a playground at Brooklands Park, East Worthing.

Council health and safety experts say they cannot run the risk of disease being spread and have shut the facility indefinitely.

There was also concern about vandals throwing glass into the pool, resulting in several injuries over the past few years.

Borough council parks manager Chris Bradley said: "We have from time to time had a rodent problem and rodent urine is not a good thing.

"We have found dead rats in the pool on a fairly regular basis and there is obviously a potential for Weil's disease."

The disease formerly occurred mainly among sewage, abattoir or farm workers and miners but recent records show the majority of deaths are now related to water activities.

It starts with a fever, muscular aches and pains, loss of appetite and vomiting.

Subsequent bruising of the skin, sore eyes, nose bleeds and jaundice may occur.

It is believed the rats are attracted by the nearby boating lake, possibly by food which is thrown to ducks and swans.

Mr Bradley said he was also greatly concerned about broken glass thrown in to the pool by vandals who congregated there after dark.

He said: "It is a problem which seems to be increasing and appears insurmountable. We are often finding glass that has been chucked in. The only way this can be subdued is if the pool was supervised permanently.

"We have had to close it and refer people to the pool by the Aquarena, which is supervised. There is a health and safety issue which we cannot ignore any longer. The only way we can deal with it is to shut it.

"The pool is checked every day and thankfully we have managed to prevent personal injury on quite a few occasions, but it is only a matter of time."

The filtration system which chemically treated the water in the pool was also reaching the end of its life, Mr Bradley added.