Beach-goers are being warned to watch out after a woman was left in agony when she stepped on a poisonous weaver fish.

Deborah Newman said it felt like she had been electrocuted when one of its venomous spikes pierced her toe, causing it to bleed for 20 minutes.

Ms Newman, 46, of Ventnor Villas, Hove, was walking her sister's dog, Trafford, on the beach at Hove yesterday when she was stung.

She said: "I was throwing the ball into the water for the dog and then he decided he didn't want to get it anymore. I waded in barefoot to get it and it felt like a spear had gone into my toe.

"There was a tingling going up and down my leg and by the time I came out the water it was so painful. It took me about 20 minutes to hobble home.

"I was stung by a jellyfish years ago but it was not as painful as this - it really was excruciating."

At home, Ms Newman, a support worker, immersed her swollen foot in hot water and waited for the pain to subside.

She said she would never go in the sea again without sandals and urged Brighton and Hove City Council to put up signs warning holidaymakers and beach-users of the dangers.

She said: "The council are pretty good at putting up notices on the beach but I think it would be useful to have something up about the weaver fish. I knew what it was and what to do but tourists might not."

The five-inch long fish, normally found in warm waters off Morocco, are a common sight along the Sussex coastline during the summer. They bury themselves beneath the sand and carry a powerful venom in their sandy-coloured dorsal spines.

A council spokeswoman said: "Weaver fish are only small but the sting can be very painful. If you do get stung, hot water can be used to dissipate the poison. Brighton and Hove seafront officers suggest wearing flip flops if you are paddling at low tide."