Clashes between protesters brought parts of central Brighton to a halt today.

An anti-Jubilee street party in Churchill Square was followed by confrontations between anti-fascists and nationalists in and around the seafront and Old Steine.

Hundreds of police were on alert in the city centre but no serious violence was reported and fewer than a hundred people were involved on either side.

A total of 18 people were arrested.

See below for full list

The day ended with about 30 nationalists being escorted to Brighton railway station by police and leaving the city.

Superintendent Steve Whitton, of Sussex Police, said: "We took the decision to have a visible and reassuring presence in the city today.

"Early engagement, explaining our intentions to facilitate peaceful activity and making arrests for any criminality, prevented an escalation of tension between the groups and only a few minor incidents of disorder took place.

"I would like to thank local people, businesses and visitors for their patience on the few occasions when it was necessary to close roads or divert traffic. We were able keep these to a minimum."

Several small groups answered a call by right-wing group Casuals United to come to the city to socialise.

The plan was made in response to an overwhelming counter-demonstration at the March For England in April, which stopped that march following its route.

Sussex Police estimated about 100 people in total came to the city as part of the Casuals United event.

As a result, Unite Against Fascism encouraged its supporters to attend a UK Uncut street party in Churchill Square.

Sussex Police cancelled officers’ leave and drafted in officers from other areas including Kent, West Mercia, Warwickshire, Bedfordshire and Thames Valley.

Police horses patrolled the city centre, and a heavy police presence was reported at railway stations in the morning.

They invoked Section 60 of the Criminal Justice Act to allow them to search people on suspicion of carrying weapons and forbidding people to cover their faces.

One man was arrested and cautioned for cannabis possession at Hove station, another arrested on suspicion of possession of a class A drug near the Queen’s Head pub opposite Brighton station.

The UK Uncut event started at midday and passed peacefully, with trestle tables laid out, music, puppetry and poetry outside the doors of BHS – a shop targeted in the past because of controversy surrounding the tax affairs of its parent company Arcadia.

The event was largely compered by Marina Pepper, a former Liberal Democrat mayor of Lewes.

Meanwhile nationalists had reportedly gathered in pubs in Hove, before splitting up and coming to Brighton.

Security guards in Kemp Town began reporting aggressive, homophobic behaviour by groups of men in Kemp Town.

The Argus found one group of about ten nationalists drinking peacefully at the St James’s Tavern.

They declined to speak publicly, saying they had been misrepresented in the past.

They confirmed they and fellow visitors had split up to stop police containing them. Arrests were reported soon afterwards near Palace Pier and the Amsterdam Hotel, following alleged public order offences.

Others gathered at Belushi’s.

Shortly after 3.10pm a group of about 100 people, many in black hooded tops, unfurled a banner which read “No Fascism” and marched into North Street, heading towards Kemp Town.

They got as far as Bond Street before police stopped them. With the road blocked, queues of buses immediately began to form, stretching as far back as Old Steine.

The demonstrators drifted away, though police later said the march had been “re-routed”.

They gathered again in Old Steine, opposite the bottom of St James’s Street. There, with no police in sight, the first of many brief confrontations with nationalists took place.

A small group of nationalists walked towards and past the large group of anti-fascists, who began shouting slogans at them after they had passed.

No physical confrontation took place – though the anti-fascists did clash with police soon afterwards.

A bus nearly drove into one of their number, who had crouched to pick something up as he crossed a bus lane.

His cohorts banged on the front of the bus and shouted at the driver. Police then forced the anti-fascists off the road.

At the seafront, police arrested a man outside Charles Street Bar. He chanted “E-, E-, EDL” as they loaded him into the back of a van. Two other men, who were clearly drunk, were arrested shortly afterwards a few yards away.

Several nationalists were milling about in the area, even as anti-fascists, not in black hoods, walked among them trying to find out where they were.

The Argus heard one nationalist complaining about the tactic of repeatedly splitting up.

St James’s Street was briefly blocked as police contained the main anti-fascist group.

Traffic was stopped between that junction on the Old Steine and the Palace Pier roundabout outside Harry Ramsden’s chip shop.

Shortly afterwards confrontations began between the entrance to the Royal Albion Hotel and Pool Valley.

Police blocked a short cut-through, escorting nationalists to the Pool Valley side, and keeping anti-fascists on the Old Steine side.

Two nationalists and an anti-fascist were arrested on suspicion of public order offences there.

By 4.30, police had blocked the northbound exit from the Palace Pier roundabout while anti-fascists gathered there.

A group of nationalists gathered on the seafront side of the Royal Albion.

About 30 of them were then escorted back up North Street to the railway station.

Three men were arrested over alleged racist chanting.

An anti-fascist protester was arrested after an egg was thrown.

The nationalists were taken through the back entrance of the station at about 6pm to make sure no problems were caused to people travelling to the Fatboy Slim concert at the American Express Community Stadium.

A total 18 people were arrested during the day.

• A 47-year-old man from Enfield, Middlesex, was cautioned for possession of cocaine and released.

• A 32-year-old man from Portslade was cautioned for possession of cannabis and cannabis resin and released.

• A 37-year-old man from Sittingbourne, Kent, was cautioned for possession of cocaine and released.

The rest were still in custody at 8pm.

• A 26-year-old man from Cambridge on suspicion of using offensive language.

• A 44-year-old man from Brighton on suspicion of discharging a firework in a public place.

• A 45-year-old man from Brighton on suspicion of a breach of the peace.

• A 49-year-old man from Shoreham on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm.

• A 43-year-old man from Hull on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly.

• A 49-year-old man from Worthing on suspicion of using offensive language.

• A 50-year-old man from Herne Bay, Kent on suspicion ofcommitting battery.

• A 45-year-old man from Bletchley, Milton Keynes on suspicion of breaching a notice served under Section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act.

• A 51-year-old man from Hull on suspicion of criminal damage, assaulting a police officer and breaching a notice served under Section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act.

• A 53-year-old woman from Brighton on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.

• A 27-year-old man from Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire on suspicion of causing distress to public.

• A 30-year-old man from Brighton on suspicion of assault.

• A 27-year-old man from Brighton on suspicion of using offensive language.

• A 50-year-old man from Bournemouth on suspicion of using racial language while chanting.

• A 37-year-old man from Brighton on suspicion of possession of heroin.