A peace protester will be given government money to fund a court battle with police he accuses of temporarily blinding him with pepper spray.

Tom Daly, 25, said his face felt "on fire" for two hours after he was sprayed during an anti-war demonstration on Brighton seafront.

Many protesters have complained of heavy-handed police tactics during the protest event on October 31 last year.

Mr Daly, of York Place, Brighton, is pursuing a civil claim against police and has been granted legal aid to mount the challenge.

He has finished collecting witness statements and has applied to view CCTV footage of the event, which he is waiting for police to send him.

Mr Daly said: "The whole thing is proving to be quite a long, drawn-out process but I am pleased I was successful in applying for legal aid.

"Hopefully the case will move forward before too long."

Mr Daly is a member of Sussex Action For Peace, which helped organise the demo to protest against a threatened war with Iraq.

Another protester, originally from Spain, has been preparing a similar civil claim against the police for his treatment on the night.

However, he has returned to Spain for six months and Mr Daly, who has been helping him with his case, was unsure when it would progress.

Trouble flared at the October 31 event when activists tried to block traffic near the Palace Pier in Brighton.

Between 300 and 500 people had gathered on the seafront after marching from the University of Sussex campus.

Protesters have accused police of storming in with batons and pepper sprays to manoeuvre the crowds down side streets.

Twenty people were arrested.

Following the event, a police spokeswoman said pepper spray would only have been used in one-to-one situations where officers felt under threat.