A peace protester is preparing to sue police saying they temporarily blinded him with pepper spray during last week's demonstration on Brighton seafront.

Tom Daly, 25, said his face felt "on fire" two hours after he was sprayed by a police officer as the anti-war demo turned violent.

Many protesters have since complained of heavy-handed police tactics as officers tried to disrupt their staged blockade of traffic last Thursday night.

Mr Daly, of York Place, Brighton, has been to see a solicitor to discuss pursuing a civil case against the police and is encouraging others to do the same.

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

But Mr Daly, 25, a member of Sussex Action For Peace, said: "Pepper spray was used in an indiscriminate way. It was pretty horrific."

He is determined to go ahead with a legal claim and is also considering making a formal complaint against the force.

A police spokeswoman said: "As far as I'm aware, we haven't received any complaints yet."

Sussex Action For Peace is preparing to hold a similar demo on Saturday, November 23, starting at Preston Park at noon.