Police are promising a tougher approach to travellers who set up camps in public parks in Brighton and Hove this year.

In addition, the city council is spending £60,000 on fencing to prevent travellers moving on to some sites.

Hove and Shoreham police chief Superintendent Graham Cox said: "We intend taking a more robust approach and evicting as quickly as possible people who camp in areas which are clearly public amenities.

"I'm referring specifically to places like public parks which are the green lungs of our crowded city.

"People, especially those with young children and perhaps no gardens, rely on them and have nowhere else to go.

"Camping on these sites, in my opinion, is out of order."

Police intend using Section 61 of the Criminal Justice Act which empowers them to require travellers to leave sites under certain circumstances.

The landowner first has to make the requirement for eviction. The travellers' camp must comprise at least six vehicles and the human rights of the travellers must be protected.

Police would not, for instance, be allowed to evict a pregnant woman or a family which might suffer harm if it had to move.

The "robust" approach is being backed by the city council and Brighton police.

Superintendent Peter Coll, of Brighton police, said: "We will be working closely with the council to target certain areas, but it is not a straightforward matter. We have to comply with human rights legislation and ensure we do not act unlawfully.

"We will be doing what we can to balance the needs of the local community and the rights of people.

"We are very much encouraged by the provision of council money to target-harden certain sites and we are keen to tackle this problem better this year.

A council spokesman said: "The council always takes a tough line where appropriate.

"We cannot always act as quickly as people would like us to due to legislation, principally the introduction of the Human Rights Act."