The company which paid £700 million for Butlins has denied that jobs and holidays in Sussex are under threat.

Bourne Leisure is reported to be involved in a move which could see some of its caravan parks trading as Haven sold off.

But the company says the move will have no impact on the giant Butlins centre at Bognor.

It was purchased earlier this year after a deal with former owner Rank Leisure which included the entire Butlins chain, Warner holiday camps and Oasis holiday villages.

Bourne will not confirm that half its Haven parks are to be put under the hammer, but a spokesman said some smaller parks could be sold to private operators.

He added: "Butlins is not involved and we are totally committed to developing and expanding the business."

Bourne recently created 50 jobs at the Bognor centre to handle telephone bookings and inquiries about its holiday companies.

The company also owns English Holidays, which runs the Church Farm caravan park at Pagham, near Bognor. The site is not involved in sale talks.

After taking over Butlins, Bourne promised to keep many of the best known features of the empire founded by the late Sir Billy Butlin, including the famous Redcoats.