Booming Eastbourne is asserting itself as the shopping capital of Sussex with Christmas trade helping to bolster cash tills.

Town centre traders in the resort are reporting increases of up to 16 per cent on last year.

It marks a resurgence for some businesses in the area which suffered sales slumps earlier in the year due to the bad weather.

Now business leaders are predicting profit margins this Christmas will exceed those of previous years.

They say that is in part due to the the Christmas Cracker Weekends which are being held in the town centre and attracting hoards of shoppers.

Town centre manager Elliott Cairns said: "It really is going brilliantly. I have been talking to traders who have told me that in some cases trade has been up 16 per cent on last year.

"I don't know whether it will be a record-breaker but it is certainly looking good. One of the reasons for this is because Eastbourne has become the most important shopping centre in Sussex.

"We have emerged as a natural focus for people wanting to do their shopping. That has been helped by our Christmas Cracker Weekends, which have been a resounding success."

In April thousands of pounds was spent on improvement work in Terminus Road.

Wider pavements, better street furntiure and lighting were installed as part of a bid to attract more custom to the town.