A crackdown on drug-related crime is set to follow a £750,000 grant for Brighton and Hove.

The cash boost has come in the wake of a report claiming the city could be losing up to £45 million every year because of thefts and muggings by drug addicts.

Other figures show up to 90 per cent of snatch-and-grab crime is drug-related, with addicts often needing to carry out six criminal acts a day to feed their habit.

The money will be spent during three years by the Crime and Disorder Partnership, chaired by the chief executive of Brighton and Hove City Council, Glynn Jones.

It is part of a £20 million package targeted at the South-East and represents the biggest slice of the cake.

Nearly £240,000 will be spent each year on crime-prevention strategies, including increased police presence in problem spots, more neighbourhood wardens, CCTV cameras and security lighting, and targeted surveillance operations.

The partnership was formed to implement the Crime and Disorder Act and includes representatives from the police, the council and other statutory bodies.

Frazer McEwan, of drug charity Addaction, welcomed the funds and said: "Any new money addressing drug-related crime is welcome, both in terms of support for actual victims and in terms of fear of crime on the streets.

"Our own service users are often victims of crime themselves as well as perpetrators. But there is evidence that for every pound spent on the treatment of drug addiction, £3 is saved on crime and money spent dealing with the offender."