Shopkeepers in Brighton have launched their own website.

Members of the North Laine Traders' Association wanted to raise the profile of the area, known for its quirky shops and bohemian atmosphere.

The site - www.northlaine.co.uk - will primarily act as a window for the district's 300 shops, which sell everything from vintage comic books to bonsai trees.

Association members get a free page on the site with photos of their shop, its opening hours, a list of products and, where applicable, a link to their own business website.

Peter Stocker, association secretary and co-owner of North Laine Ceramics in Trafalgar Street, said: "We wanted to promote the area to people who don't know the city.

"We wanted to let them browse all the wacky and unusual shops to show them we are not the same as Churchill Square, for example, and encourage then to visit.

"We also want the site to be a place for our members to get information on fire regulations, how to do an asbestos check and all those kind of things."

He said eventually the website would have a message board where members could meet to share information or "just have a good gossip".

It is also hoped the website, launched at the Jubilee Library last Thursday, will encourage more of Brighton and Hove's 1,500 shop owners to sell online.

Only two per cent, 300, have a website where items can be bought.

Some 20 per cent of shops in North Laine have no website.

David Lepper, Labour MP for Brighton Pavilion and a former chairman of the Brighton Town Centre Business Forum, said: "This website is another important step to help the mainly small independent businesses in this lively and unique part of the city."

In May, neighbouring traders in The Lanes made a six-minute video to promote the range of independent shops in their shopping district