A millionaire who helped set up a chain of pubs in Brighton and Hove has donated a six-bedroom house to charity.

Martin Webb, 37, set up the C-Side chain in the Nineties with Simon Kirby. Now he is ploughing some of his fortune back into the city.

He began by handing over the keys to a £330,000 house in Hove to the Rev Paul Young, founder and director of the Hove-based Christian charity Off the Fence.

The premises will be used to look after vulnerable youngsters, such as those who have run away or become involved in drugs or prostitution.

The donation is the first of several projects Mr Webb hopes will improve life in his home city, following the sale of C-Side for £15 million.

He said: "I am the business entrepreneur and Paul is the social entrepreneur. Together we can help the vulnerable.

"My family go back eight generations in Brighton and, having travelled the world, I have come to the conclusion I don't want to live anywhere else.

"I am putting money back into the city I love after it has been so good to me."

Mr Young, a Baptist Church minister, said: "There is often nowhere for people to go if they suddenly find themselves in Brighton and Hove with no money.

"Social services cannot cope and they end up walking the streets or sleeping rough.

"We intend to employ fully-trained staff experienced in dealing with vulnerable youngsters.

"There is enough room for at least five young men or women to be housed here and they will be encouraged to get back on their feet and make contact with their families.

"Martin has been very generous in buying this superb property for us and we hope local businesses will sponsor a room so the place can be furnished and fitted out properly."

Mr Webb and Mr Young met while the millionaire's company was running the Zap Club in Brighton, which hosted fund-raising events for Project Anti-Freeze, a forerunner of Off the Fence.

The charity can be contacted on 01273 733732.

The address of the home is not being published for safety reasons.