An aquarium has ordered anti-venom after becoming the first in the UK to house deadly sea snakes.

The special serum, which has been ordered from Australian laboratories, needs to be injected within minutes of a bite from a banded sea snake to work.

The four snakes, which each contain enough venom in one bite to kill three people, are part of a new display called Venom at the Sea Life Centre in Madeira Drive, Brighton.

Other potential killers in the line-up include poison dart frogs, jellyfish, dwarf lionfish and stone fish.

Curator Peter Jones said: "There is absolutely no danger to visitors because their tank is completely sealed and escape-proof but of course our staff have to gain access to feed the snakes and change their water.

"We have an incredibly rigid health and safety protocol in place for these operations but you don't take chances with creatures this dangerous, hence the anti-venom."

The snakes, normally found in shallow Pacific lagoons, are so dangerous they are fed outside opening hours.

Peter added: "It's one job that needs to be done quickly, carefully and with no distractions."

Banded sea snakes are one of few predators quick and deadly enough to prey on razor-toothed moray eels.

In spite of their name the reptiles are equally at home on dry land as in the water and females usually lay their eggs on small isolated islands.