Anti-porn campaigners are angered by a mail order firm's application for a licence to sell sex accessories.

Sureline Marketing, which trades on the Dominion Way Industrial Estate, in East Worthing, has applied for a licence to sell toys and pornographic videos to sex shops across the country.

The company has been trading for many years at the site but due to new Government legislation now needs a licence for business to continue.

The application has been submitted to Worthing Borough Council and a decision will be made at a meeting of the Environment Services committee on February 1, next year.

But campaigner Steve Stevens, 81, of Rowlands Road, Worthing, wants the application thrown out and believes sex aids and pornography should have no place in the town.

Mr Stevens said: "I have been campaigning against pornography for more than 30 years. I knew once the new legislation came in there would be applications for licences from within the town.

"It would lower the standard of this town if a licence was granted to sell sex goods and pornography in Worthing.

"I believe there is sufficient evidence that after watching pornographic videos men enter into criminal sexual activity and innocent women are raped as a result.

"Pornography stimulates sex but provides no outlet so it leads men to go out and rape women or go to prostitutes."

David Bowen, Principal Health Officer for Worthing Borough Council, said: "The application is a technicality really. They have been selling goods on mail order for years but now need a licence.

"There are no customers visiting the site. It is not a sex shop and we have never had any problems with the firm trading there.

"They are a responsible company who are very well established. I can't see there being a problem with the licence being granted.

"At present there have been no objections to the application but it has only just been advertised and is now open for the public's comments."

Mike Roberts, managing director of Sureline, said: "It is not a big deal. We are a mail order company who keep all the sex toys in a warehouse before distributing to shops around the country. I want to stress that we are not a sex shop.

"We now need a licence to hold the material in the warehouse. But nothing has changed except the legislation. We have been operating here for years with no complaints."