A mother was taken to hospital after being struck on the head by a full watering can dropped from a multi-storey car park.

Police say it may have been a prank that went wrong and her three-month-old daughter could have been killed if the can had hit her instead.

Rachel Morley, 23, was walking along Chatsworth Road, in Worthing, with her fianc and baby Zannah when she felt a thud on the back of her head.

She said: "It felt like someone was attacking me so I turned round to shout at them but found it was a plastic watering can.

"One step less and it could have hit my little girl. It was a five-litre can filled with water so it was quite heavy.

"What if it had hit an elderly person or child? They could have been killed."

Rachel, of Toomey Road, Steyning, was taken to Worthing Hospital but was not seriously injured. The incident happened next to the Guildbourne Centre multi-storey car park at about 1pm on Saturday.

Rachel, who has suffered headaches since the attack, said: "The hospital said they were quite surprised it hadn't knocked me out and I was lucky I wasn't seriously hurt."

Her fianc Simon Brown searched for whoever dropped the can but was unsuccessful.

PC David Arseneault said: "It could have been fatal if it had hit the baby.

"We think the can fell from about the fifth or sixth floor so it must have picked up quite a bit of speed dropping from that height.

"Perhaps it was a prank that went wrong and they just meant to tip the water out."

Les Mockford of Worthing Council's environmental services department said: "I am absolutely horrified this has happened and just hope it was a prank that went wrong and nothing more serious."

Anyone with information should contact Mr Arseneault on 01243 843683.