Some have been bundled along in shopping trolleys, some arrived under cover of darkness and others appear to have lost a little, well, weight.

Council bosses have been besieged by more than 100 runaway traffic cones since an amnesty was announced last month.

Staff at Eastbourne's tourist office are growing accustomed to finding piles of the cones waiting patiently on the doorstep when they arrive for work every day.

One turned up with its own apology note and another had spent its time away at the Congress Theatre - returning bedecked in a costume of ribbons.

Parents, too, have taken the amnesty to heart, dropping off children's toy cones to the reception desks.

The council announced the amnesty on March 31 in advance of the town's three big summer tourist events, the Airbourne Festival, the Ladies' International Tennis Championship and the Skate Festival.

During the displays, the cones are used to keep traffic flowing smoothly through the town but in the past few years some have gone astray.

Tourism and leisure director Ron Cussons asked people to check gardens, sheds and garages to see if any of the roving cones had appeared.

He said: "Staff will leave the car park in the evening and by first thing a pile of cones has appeared, which is great.

"But we certainly don't want to deprive little children of their toys and urge the parents of any children whose mini-cones may have been dropped off to contact the events office."

The amnesty continues until the middle of June.