A judge has been accused of undermining attempts to clear the streets of graffiti after releasing Sussex's first jailed tagger after just one week.

Thomas Heaphy, 19, of Ewhurst Road, Brighton, was jailed for eight weeks after he was convicted of 44 counts of criminal damage.

An appeal, lodged by his family on Monday and set for September, was brought forward and his sentence was overturned by Judge Richard Brown at Lewes Crown Court.

Heaphy was fined more than £4,000 and given 150 hours' community punishment instead.

But traders whose property was damaged by Heaphy said freeing him early sent out the wrong message to vandals.

Ray Coles, who owns The Secret Games Shop in Brighton Square, said: "He has done an awful lot of damage to an awful lot of properties and I am flabbergasted he has been let out so soon. He has scratched right across the middle of the window so it can be seen all the time and it will cost us £850 to change."

Heaphy was arrested as part of a joint crackdown by police and Brighton and Hove City Council. He was charged on June 29 for scratching graffiti tags on to shop windows in The Lanes around Brighton Square and Meeting House Lane.

A staff member at Sue Pearson's Dolls and Teddy Bears shop, in Brighton Square, said: "We are too lenient in this country and that's why we are in the mess we are in with this sort of thing happening.

"The weekly payment of his fine is not going to help us pay for a new door."

Jamie Raisey, manager of The Pen Shop, said: "The original sentence does sound heavy but he has probably been scared enough by the time he spent in prison."

Heaphy's mother, Kate Collier, of Addison Road, Hove, said: "Thomas was very shaken by the sentence last week and we are all very pleased to have him home.

"We should not be imprisoning young people who plead guilty to all counts, have no risk of reoffending and have never had so much as a police warning."

Environment councillor Gill Mitchell said: "The message is clear - we are tightening up on graffiti taggers. Even after the appeal this is still significant. Mr Heaphy has already spent six nights in prison cells.

"We are hoping his community service will include work to clean up the environment, which can be more constructive in terms of reform."