It used to be that all a parent needed to deter swearing was a dose of soap and water in the miscreant's mouth. But times change, so much so that one estate in Brighton has taken the exceptional step of banning swearing in public.

All new tenants on the Hollingdean estate in the town will be required to sign a contract agreeing, among other things, not to use foul language in public. Any who repeatedly flout the agreement could lose their homes.