The new owners of Brighton’s most expensive pub say their new acquisition “fits very nicely” into their portfolio and insist there will be no sweeping changes.

City Pub Company West took charge of the Lion and Lobster this week after paying a record £4.5 million for the distinctive pub in Sillwood Street in Brighton.

CEO Alex Derrick, who is from Lindfield, said that the city was the “perfect place” for the firm to expand and it is hoped they would be able to add at least one more Brighton and Hove pub to their portfolio.

The pub had been owned since 2001 by the former Bill actor Gary Whelan and is considered to be one of the city’s most successful.

Mr Derrick told The Argus that the pub’s current staff would be retained and would be free to make the majority of decisions, from menus to brewers.

He said: “There are some fantastic pubs round here and some fantastic opportunities.

“There is a lot of change going on in Brighton at the moment, there is a lot of investment in the city’s pubs.

“All our existing sites are very different, we have some where the beer is brewed on site and some which are very food led, we take each pub on its merits.

“We are not going to come in and make sweeping changes, the manager has been there for ten years and done a fantastic job.

“Part of what we have paid for is the staff and the service they provide, so we are not going to get rid of that.”