Television's Popstars band, Hearsay, went home with a haul of unconventional souvenirs when they dropped in to Brighton.

Danny Foster, Mylenne Klass and Noel Sullivan, three of the aspiring wannabes flung to fame by the TV series, made off with a cut-out of footballer David Ginola and a Christmas tree.

The members of Hearsay, which also includes Suzanne Shaw and Kym Marsh, have gained themselves a reputation for "stealing" souvenirs from radio shows as they tour the nation promoting their single.

Pure and Simple is predicted to go straight to the top of the charts when it is released on March 12.

In Brighton yesterday they made their biggest coup when they escaped with the giant cut-out of Aston Villa's Ginola from the Southern FM offices in Portslade.

Presenter Nicky Keig-Shevlin and co-host Danny Pike have often joked about the figure of the football star on their breakfast show.

Nicky said: "I am very sad to see him go."

Twenty-one-year-old Popstar Danny also took five Southern FM coffee cups.

The football theft followed hot on the heels of an earlier snatch in the studios of Surf 107.2 in North Street, Brighton, of a miniature Christmas tree.

Interviewer John Chittenden said: "The Christmas tree had been part of the studio for months, but I am glad it has gone to a good cause."

The band added their latest haul to their people carrier, already decorated with furry animals and a reflective disco ball plundered from other radio stations.

The trip to Brighton was not the first for two of the band members.

Danny had his first glimpse of the sea on a school trip 14 years ago. It was also a nostalgic trip for Mylenne who danced with Michael Crawford two years ago in the Brighton Centre.

Hearsay has already been lined up as one of the acts for this Summer's Party in the Park in Brighton's Preston Park, and possibly the Brighton Centre later this year.