Hove MP Ivor Caplin has accused anti-war protesters of traumatising his constituents after they confronted him at his surgery.

Dozens of peace campaigners greeted the Labour MP with a slow hand-clap in protest at his pro-war stance on Iraq.

About 30 people waved placards and banners and jeered as he left his weekly meeting with voters at Portslade Town Hall on Friday.

Mr Caplin made his case for war in The Argus on Saturday, saying it was now crucial to take power away from Saddam Hussein.

He accused Friday's demonstrators of adding to the trauma of his constituents as they prepared to question him on local issues.

Mr Caplin said: "They were bashing on the windows and the outside doors and that concerned the constituents, who were supposed to be having a private meeting with me.

"A lot of the people that come to my surgeries are at the end of the line with various private matters and come already traumatised. This will have added to their trauma."

Mr Caplin said he had offered to meet a delegation of three to four protesters at a separate meeting but they had failed to respond to telephone calls.

Instead, they arrived at Mr Caplin's surgery and slow-clapped the MP as he left the building in Victoria Road.

Police were called to make sure Mr Caplin could get away safely. No arrests were made.

Mr Caplin said: "I am always happy to meet lobby groups but I don't meet them at my weekly surgeries."

Anti-war protestor Mary Frankel, 62, of Benson Court, Hove, took part in the demonstration.

She said: "He is not listening to constituents. He just wants to ignore people and go straight to war."

One protester, first-time voter Victoria Wakefield-Jarrett, 18, from Hove, said: "He is not taking any notice of a large proportion of his constituency.

"I definitely won't vote for him in the next elections and I don't think I could vote for Labour in the council elections either, even though I know they are not pro-war."

Mr Caplin's office manager, Councillor Sue John, said the protesters should have made an appointment to see the MP like everyone else.

The protest was one of many peace demonstrations held across Sussex as people reacted to news that war was now almost certain.

People gathered at The Level in Brighton and the Lewes War Memorial, joining thousands of others taking part in similar candle-lit demonstrations around the world.

Beginning in New Zealand, candles were lit at 7pm local time in about 7,000 different venues.

Gill Gabel of Southdown Avenue, Lewes, who attended the town's vigil, said: "We all stood very still for an hour then about 120 men, women and children stared singing We Shall Overcome.

"It was sung very softly and was very beautiful."

If war is declared there will be another vigil at Lewes War Memorial at 5pm on that day.

Hundreds of schoolchildren today launched protests against war at schools.

Teachers allowed more than 100 children to skip school and hold an all-day peace protest today at Chailey School, near Lewes.

Pupils chose to take part in the sit-down demonstration in the playground from 9.30am.

Youngsters at Patcham High School can assemble in the playground at 2.50pm where they can sign either a petition or a "thinking of you" book for anyone they know involved in the action.

Iraq latest from USA Today: iraq.usatoday.com