A serial bag snatcher suspected of stealing more than 30 handbags from lone women was being questioned by police today.

The man, aged 31, was arrested after a dramatic chase through Hove involving more than 20 officers and the city's firearms unit.

He was held after crashing a stolen car in a high-speed pursuit through narrow side-streets from Seven Dials to Avondale Road, Hove.

Jubilant Chief Inspector Jane Rhodes said: "Catching this man was our number one priority."

The suspect's identity has been known since officers spotted him driving a stolen car after a bag snatch on Tuesday.

He escaped after a short chase which ended in Brighton but police stepped up the search, code-named Operation Grab, flooding the streets with officers in a major manhunt.

The breakthrough came last night when a woman made a 999 call to say her red Honda Civic had been taken from outside her home in Mornington Crescent, Hove.

A number of older cars, including Vauxhall Astras and Honda Civics, had been used in earlier robberies.

More than 20 police officers, including the firearms unit from Brighton, launched an intense search of the area.

The stolen Honda was spotted by a firearms officer in Seven Dials a few minutes later.

He gave chase as the fugitive sped off.

At one point the fleeing suspect nearly crashed head-on with a woman driving in Glendale Road, Hove.

He lost control of the Honda in nearby Avondale Road, crashed it and ran off.

The officer, who was not carrying a gun at the time, continued the chase on foot and arrested the man a short distance away.

Chief Inspector Rhodes said: "This was a brilliant team effort by all concerned.

"We were absolutely determined to catch this man and had committed extra resources to doing so.

"We had two full shifts on yesterday because the early duty officers didn't want to go home until we had arrested him.

"Inspector Beryl Bacon organised back-up from he firearms unit and city's support team as part of Operation Grab.

"She rang me at home last night to tell me a man had been arrested and I was just thrilled.

"The morale and team spirit displayed by all the officers involved in the operation has been fantastic."

Police had also launched undercover surveillance of some of supermarket car parks where many of the snatches had taken place.

They had included Sainsbury at Hove, Asda at Hollingbury, Brighton, and the Co-op in Nevill Road, Hove.

In nearly all cases lone women drivers were targeted and their bags stolen while they were either in or near their cars.