Villagers are in a spin over a series of rogue planning notices which have been put up near their homes.

Residents of Rottingdean were flummoxed at the weekend by seemingly genuine posters proclaiming plans for a car park on the village pond and a bypass.

Now more notices have appeared detailing a planning application to demolish the main garage in the High Street and replace it with 12 town houses - and people are confused.

But The Argus can confirm this application on behalf of Denes Motors to knock down the showroom and workshops for housing is the real thing.

Garage owner Peter Ghazal said: "This application is genuine. We have always wanted to move to bigger premises as we are too cramped."

His brother Paul said: "The appearance of the rogue notices confused people.

"We are now being asked whether our application is genuine or not. Ours is definitely a genuine application to Brighton and Hove City Council as we want a bigger place."

Notices for the Dene Motors application have been placed on lamp posts in Rottingdean village centre and on public notice boards.

They have the same heading as the hoax notices which said an application had been received by National Car Parks to concrete over the village pond and that land on the east side of Dean Court Road was to be compulsorily purchased for the construction of a bypass to Saltdean.