Bait digging on a river bank may look to be a harmless practice but it's against the law and can be harmful.

The Environment Agency is worried the diggers' actions could lead to the collapse of flood defences along the river Adur between Bramber and Shoreham.

People who do it know they are breaking the law. There are plenty of warnings all along the river that bait digging is illegal.

One group of men physically threatened agency officer Ray Kemp when he gave them a warning.

What they are doing could have serious consequences. Much of the land by the Adur is low-lying and at the Shoreham end there are plenty of houses.

If these people act in a threatening way, agency staff will have to get police backing to make sure the digging stops.