A woman was arrested after an attempt to set fire to a Sussex petrol station.

Police and firecrews were called in by worried staff after they spotted her on the forecourt.

The middle-aged woman walked into the Esso service station in Lewes Road, Brighton, on Friday night.

Witnesses said she removed the nozzles from two pumps and tried to spray petrol across the forecourt.

Her attempts failed because staff switched the pumps off.

She then tied her scarf around the nozzle of a third pump and set fire to it with a cigarette lighter.

The small blaze had burnt itself out by the time crews from Preston Circus fire station arrived.

Sub Officer Grant Eagersaid: "She seemed a bit upset about something and was not too happy when the police turned up and arrested her.

"She had walked along the Lewes Road banging dustbin lids on all the shop windows before she got to the garage.

"For reasons best known to herself, she decided she wanted to set fire to it."

A spokesman at the service station said: "I don't think it was a very serious fire and we are open for business as usual."

Meanwhile, 100 litres of petrol spilled onto a filling station forecourt as a tanker was making a delivery at the Tesco station in Lottbridge Drove, Eastbourne.

Firefighters and a specialist petroleum officer spent three hours washing away the liquid.