Five severely autistic children have won the right to stay at the care centre they love.

Yesterday, at the High Court in London, Brighton and Hove Council agreed to keep the Palmeira Project in Hove open.

The youngsters, all between 11 and 16, can now have the 24-hour care they require until they become adults or leave school.

The decision follows months of legal battling by the children's parents, who were said to be on the verge of breakdown.

Nicola Mackintosh, the parents' solicitor, said outside the court: "They were all at a stage where suicide was not unlikely.

"One of the siblings of the children developed 'night terrors' and panic attacks, believing the council would close Palmeira and remove disabled children from their families."

After the hearing one parent, speaking on behalf of the group, described the decision as a "fantastic victory".

He said: "We have shown an authority must account for its failure to honour the commitments it gives."

The Palmeira Project, which is run by the National Children's Home charity, was threatened with closure last year after the council and the charity decided to end their contract in a row over costs.

Yesterday's decision was a U-turn for the council, which faces bills of hundreds of thousands of pounds to keep the centre open.

The council had been expected to make a final decision on the Palmeira Project next month.

But in court council leader Lynette Gwyn-Jones and Coun Jean Spray committed the authority to funding the project without consulting their colleagues.

Coun Gwyn-Jones said: "This is a logical and consistent thing for us to do. I am glad the litigation appears to be finished so the council can concentrate on its responsibilities to provide care for these children."

The service is the only one in Sussex to meet the children's needs. Four of the five spend part of the week at home with their families and the rest at the centre.

Keith Taylor, Green councillor, who voted to continue funding, said: "It has taken five autistic children, their families, a campaigning legal team and a High Court judge to tell the council the difference between right and wrong."