Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott praised community efforts to cut crime during a visit to Sussex today.

Mr Prescott travelled to Brighton in his trademark Jaguar and spent more than an hour at the Wellesbourne community centre in Whitehawk Road meeting community leaders and residents.

Mr Prescott saw work being done on the estate as part of the New Deal for Communities (NDC) programme, which will pump £47 million into east Brighton during the next ten years.

He told residents: "There is great community spirit here and our challenge is to harness that spirit.

"It's all about trying to deal with that feeling that nobody really cares. What we are doing is providing the resources and letting you choose your own priorities for your area."

During his tour of the community centre Mr Prescott spoke to participants on a Responsible Drivers project for young people, said to have helped to reduce car crime in the area.

Mr Prescott asked what kind of car crimes they had committed in the past and at one point joked that he hoped they did not steal Jaguars.

Karl O'Keefe, 22, of The Avenue, Bevendean, told Mr Prescott the project had helped him set up a stock-car racing team called the Brighton Blues with the help of funding from the NDC.

Earlier Mr Prescott met residents and community groups to discuss ways in which the New Deal was tackling other issues in east Brighton such as poor health, skills, and training.

He also spoke to neighbourhood wardens about their work.

Mr Prescott concluded his trip by visiting the Crew Club Youth Centre, run by local residents Lorraine Town and Darren Snow, which provides a range of activities and career advice for under 25s.

East Brighton is one of 39 deprived areas in England which will share £2 billion of Government cash over the next decade in a bid to tackle social exclusion and improve quality of life.