Motorists are openly flouting the restriction on private drivers using some town centre streets such as the bottom end of Dyke Road, Brighton, during shopping hours.

Police and wardens stopped 119 of them in only 90 minutes yesterday in a section of Western Road.

The restrictions were imposed many years ago in a bid to get buses moving in a busy area of town used by thousands of pedestrians.

Even a small number of cars block these roads, causing much of the town centre to come to a standstill.

More rigorous enforcement by the police will help drivers get the message and frequent unannounced purges would be useful.

But Brighton and Hove Council may eventually have to consider imposing the restrictions permanently instead of only during the day.

While most motorists abuse the restrictions because they think they can get away with it, a significant minority are simply confused and don't know when they apply.