A police dog called in to break up a late-night brawl bit off part of a 14-year-old boy's ear.

Surgeons yesterday performed a delicate operation to reattach the teenager's right ear lobe.

He has not been named by Sussex Police, who operate data protection guidelines.

Officers were called to Morley Street, Brighton, after a fight broke out between a crowd of 20 people in the early hours of Saturday.

Some members of the gang were armed with bottles and knives.

Police said the teenager, from Brighton, was one of two people pursued by officers when they tried to run from the scene just after 2am.

They were ordered to stop by a dog handler, who followed them to an unlit part of the street.

Inspector Dave Stringer, of Brighton police, said the teenager's ear was bitten off while he was being detained.

Paramedics arrived at Morley Street, where they performed emergency first aid as officers scoured the pavement for the missing part of the boy's ear.

Insp Stringer said: "Part of the ear was stored in clear liquid by police at the scene, which enabled us to take it with the teenager to the hospital in one of our cars."

The injured youth was transferred from the Royal Sussex County Hospital to a specialist plastic surgery unit at the Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said last night the operation had been completed and the boy was in a "satisfactory" condition.

Police are waiting to question him once he has fully recovered.

Insp Stringer said it was too soon to know whether the police complaints authority would be called in to investigate.

A second teenager, aged 15, was arrested following the incident and has been charged with affray and possessing a bladed weapon.