Drug dealers who have taken over Brighton beach have been told by police: "Your business is closed."

Seafront traders have endured a summer of hell at the hands of gangs who turned the Lower Promenade into a no-go area after dark.

But police took decisive action in a two-day operation, meeting the pushers face-to-face and keeping watch to close down their trade.

One man was arrested yesterday for possession with intent to supply drugs.

At one point dealers refused to move on and there was speculation they were waiting for police to leave so they could retrieve stashes hidden in the pebbles.

Twenty police swamped the area opposite West Street on Thursday and by the end of yesterday the dealers had gone.

Sergeant Zoe Hubbard said: "We stop-checked them, disrupted their activities and warned them we would be keeping up the pressure."

Seafront traders, angry and frustrated by open dealing in what is a family area, were delighted.

One said: "It's so much better. The police were all over them stopping and searching them. It has been brilliant."

Brighton and Hove police were aware the dealers would return once their backs were turned but they promised more action.

Two crime-fighting operations have been combined to form a 30-strong team to take on dealers and drunks who defy a new street drinking ban within a triangle encompassing Norfolk Square, St James's Street and the Lower Promenade.

Inspector Paul Smith said Operation Impact would enable police to be more flexible and respond more quickly to trouble.

He said: "The team includes 12 police community support officers and there will be additional help from police probationers.

"We are making maximum use of resources to focus on these problems.

"We have daily meetings to share intelligence so we can target offenders and hotspots.

"With help from the new Brighton and Hove City Council public safety department we are having a positive impact."

One seafront worker said some days there had been up to 30 dealers offering cannabis, crack cocaine and ecstasy to passers-by.

He said: "This action is welcomed but the police have to keep up the pressure."