Escalating vandalism is leaving residents in east Brighton fearful for their homes, cars and livelihoods.

Nightly bouts of destruction have left people in Whitehawk waking up to smashed windows, vandalised vehicles and graffiti.

The latest target was the Manor Hill Fish Bar in Whitehawk, where the windows were smashed with rocks yesterday.

Now owners Chung Fat Cheng and Hang-Ye Cheng say they are being forced by the mounting cost of repairs to replace the glass frontage with steel shutters.

Their son, David Cheng, said: "It's not the first time it has happened, but it is becoming more frequent.

"It's started to happen quite a bit and I wouldn't be surprised if they come back so we are going to get shutters because we are basically fed-up with it.

"It won't look very nice, but we are forced to if they are going to keep smashing our windows. It's going to cost more to keep having them mended."

A newsagent's store in Whitehawk has already fitted shutters and nearby children's shop Kraft and Kids closed down and is now boarded-up following a series of attacks by vandals.

Mr Cheng added: "It wasn't doing much business anyway but that was the final straw and now it's all boarded-up."

The fish and chip shop, which has been run by the Cheng family for more than 12 years, is to carry on trading as normal but Mr Cheng said if the vandalism continued his parents might have second thoughts about staying in the area.

The latest attack comes after residents in neighbouring Whitehawk Close formed an association to call for better security, including CCTV cameras.

Residents have been plagued by vandals smashing their cars and attacking their homes and say they are losing patience with the situation. Some are threatening to take the law into their own hands.

Pensioner Ronald Mitten, 70, who lives in Whitehawk Close, was shocked when every window in his car was smashed despite it clearly displaying a disabled sticker.

Brian Harvey, a resident of the close, said: "Something has got to be done. It is just getting out of hand.

"We just don't know what we are going to see when we get up and look out of the window in the mornings."