Homeowners could be charged £25 for naming their properties.

The plans, being drawn up by Arun District Council because it is short of funds, have been branded crazy by one councillor.

It means anyone wishing to give their home a name will be asked to stump up cash for the privilege.

A report to councillors on Monday, January 8, said there was currently no obligation on householders to notify the council of new names.

However, the council, when notified, spends about £2,000 a year passing on the information to the Post Office and other organisations.

Residents who put up a new name without telling the council run the risk of the emergency services not being able to find their address.

The council said a number of local authorities across the country demanded a naming fee, including Kennet, Wiltshire, which levied £125, and Warwick, which charged £25.

It said the cash raised could be ploughed into replacing road signs in Litttlehampton, Bognor, Arundel and surrounding villages, which were being stolen, vandalised or accidentally damaged at an increasing rate, from 94 in 2003/4 to 200 this year.

But residents and some councillors branded the council "mean-minded".

Tim McKenna, 33, of Gravits Lane, Bognor, said: "The council is fantastic at cutting services. That's all they do. When they doubled the cost of the train in Hotham Park, we lost it.

"This is an outrage, they are always trying to get money out of you. If I wanted to change the name of my house, I'd do it unofficially."

Labour councillor Wendy Squires said: "Changing house names creates a few problems but I can't see why people shouldn't do it if they want to.

"I would have thought the income it would generate would be minute.

"It's just another one of Arun's crazy ideas."

Independent councillor Ken Scutt said: "It's just another money-making scheme and I wouldn't go along with it. It's a mean thing to do. People should be able to call their home whatever they want to."

But Conservative councillor Paul Bicknell defended the plans.

He said: "If people want to change their house description to a name from a number, it's going to make it more difficult for people to find their houses.

"I would have thought it would be better to have a number."