A CARE home has been shut down by the government's health and social care regulator after "serious concerns" were found by inspectors.

The Care Quality Commission said it took urgent action to protect people living at Royal Bay Residential Home in Bognor after an inspection on Wednesday.

The CQC said it had "no confidence the provider will take appropriate action".

Royal Bay Care Homes, which intends to appeal, has been asked to comment.

It said there were 33 residents at the home and the CQC's concerns centre on around half of those, who have dementia.

According to the company's website, it is "reputedly one of the finest residential care homes in the south of England".

The care home, in Aldwick Road, was told by the CQC in 2017 that it required improvement.

Deborah Ivanova, a CQC inspector, said: "As a result of this latest inspection, we had no choice but to use our urgent enforcement powers to protect the people who were still living at Royal Bay Residential Home.

"Over the last year we have found there has been a significant deterioration in the care provided, but to date the action of the provider has been ineffective.

"We have no confidence that that the provider will take appropriate action - and we can't leave people at risk of harm."

She said West Sussex County Council was helping residents and their families find new homes, adding: "All moves must be done in a planned way and carried out as thoughtfully and sensitively as possible."