Brighton and Hove's economy is booming compared with the rest of the country, according to new figures.

The city's economy has grown by eight per cent in the last two years compared with 4.9 per cent for the UK as a whole and 6.6 per cent in the South East. Unemployment has dropped by 36 per cent.

Growth has been higher even than in the booming Crawley, Horsham and Mid Sussex areas, where the rise was seven per cent.

Employment in Brighton and Hove has grown by 2.9 per cent since 1999, twice the county average.

It has been concentrated in construction, business and financial services, and the new media and communications sectors.

Forecasts are that growth will be 6.8 per cent in the next two years, still outstripping the regional and national economies.

Employment growth, forecast at 1.6 per cent, is also expected to be higher in Brighton and Hove than elsewhere.

Council leader Ken Bodfish said: "Our city is going from success to success. This important uplift for the economy is a result of all the hard work of business leaders working with the city council."