Rogue traders are being chased out of a village in a scheme to give people the confidence to say no to cold-callers.

The No Cold Calling zone being launched in Dallington near Rother is the first such scheme set up in Sussex.

Signs will be put up in the streets warning roofers and other traders they will not be welcome if they turn up at people's doors uninvited.

Trading standards officers who organised the zone are giving villagers advice about how to deal with cold-callers.

The road signs act as a visual deterrent but the thrust of the scheme is to give villagers the support and encouragement to tell rogue traders that Dallington is a "No Cold-Calling" village.

Only legitimate traders who work in the village after an appointment has been arranged will be welcome.

Anyone who calls unexpectedly to tout for business will be told to go away.

Villagers are being encouraged to become involved in the scheme and to support each other if cold-callers enter the village uninvited.

East Sussex County Council's trading standards service, the Safer Rother Partnership, In Touch Home Improvements Agency Hastings and Rother and Sussex Police are working together to set up the zone.

It will be launched by the Safer Rother Partnership at the village hall, Old School, Dallington, on Thursday from 4pm to 7pm. People attending the launch can get advice about crime prevention and speak to representatives from Trading Standards.

There are more than 100 no cold-calling zones in the country since the scheme was introduced.

Councillor Eric Armstrong said: "Dallington has been chosen because it already has a very good neighbourhood watch network and not because there have been reports of a large number of rogue traders or cold-callers in the area.

"Rother is a safe place to live and we want to keep it that way and reduce the number of opportunities for bogus callers to prey on vulnerable members of the community.

"As part of the scheme we are also looking to provide safety devices such as better door locks and chains for the most vulnerable people in the village.

"We hope the village supports this scheme which could be a model for other villages and areas in Rother and East Sussex to follow."

Councillor Bob Tidy, for community services at the county council, said: "I am delighted our trading standards service is helping to organise the no cold-calling scheme.

"Many residents, especially older and vulnerable people in our community, can have their lives devastated by the practices of rogue traders.

"Community safety is a top priority for the county council and so we would fully support this scheme and others like it. I hope as many people as possible in Dallington take part."