Supermarket giant Tesco has been banned from selling alcohol in a new store.

It is the first time the multi-national company has been ordered to keep drink off the shelves in Sussex and only the third occasion in Britain.

Tesco bosses were branded arrogant for submitting an application for a licence without looking into existing problems in the area.

The store's desperate legal team even offered to stop serving alcohol at 8pm in a bid to be granted the licence.

But a panel of councillors threw out the application. It is believed Tesco will appeal.

Traders in St James's Street in Kemp Town, Brighton, where the Tesco Express store is expected to open in January, welcomed the move.

The news comes just days after The Argus revealed there were more than 30 licensed premises in the area.