Aussie-style cooking stands have been installed on a popular seafront family picnic area after a young boy was burnt by a used disposable barbecue pack.

The youngster accidentally stood on discarded hot coals and suffered burns to his foot.

Now four permanent barbecue stands have been placed at The Plantation, Goring, Worthing, in the hope that people won't bring throwaway packs to the beach.

Worthing Borough Council parks and seafront manager Chris Bradley said: "Somebody discarded the contents of a barbecue and unfortunately the boy stood on it while the coals were still hot.

"He was wearing plastic shoes which started smouldering so he took his shoes off and trod on the coals, but I don't think there was any lasting damage."

Mr Bradley said disposable trays also scarred the grass on Goring Greensward, which was pock-marked with square scorch marks.

The new stands, on concrete bases, have been hired for the summer and cost £18 a week each to rent.

Similar units are very popular on Australia's surfing beaches, but unlike Down Under it has rained every day since they were unveiled in Worthing.

Mr Bradley said the council was also looking at the possibility of installing picnic tables.

Extra bins had been provided in a bid to stop the green being covered in rubbish during hot weekends, when thousands of people flocked to the site, near Goring Gap.

In previous years people left their litter in plastic bags which were ripped open overnight by foxes and seagulls, scattering the contents.

Police recently launched a crackdown on booze-fuelled youngsters who congregate there, troubling residents with vandalism and noise.

There was also a major problem with "boy-racers" using the area south of Goring Road as a racetrack, especially in wet weather, when they screeched around roundabouts at high speed and left black tyre marks on the roads.

Coun Paul High, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, said: "We had an incident where some inconsiderate people had just dumped their disposable barbecue into the bushes resulting in a child being hurt.

"This is a new project for us and if successful will hopefully be introduced at other locations across the town next summer."

Worthing District Fire Commander Roy Barraclough, said: "Careless use of disposable barbecues cause several fires in Worthing every year tying up the resources of the fire and rescue service unnecessarily.

"They have potential to cause serious injury or start larger fires. These steel structures will minimise the risk of this occurring and at the same time will improve the visual appearance of the area which is often pock-marked by burnt patches of grass in the summer months."

Would the cooking stands be a good idea in other areas across Sussex? Leave your comments below.