A 47 year-old man remains in a critical condition after he set himself alight in the middle of a busy city street.

The man who set himself on fire in Hove was transferred from Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, to the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead.

Horrified onlookers watched on as the man doused himself in petrol smelling liquid and set himself ablaze in Hove Street on Wednesday.

Deborah Worley Roberts, who was out for lunch with her husband in Hove Street, told of the chaos as the situation unfolded and how shaken she still is.

She said: “I was sick on the way home, yet some people just went back to eating their lunch - I do not know maybe it was shock.

“One man went out there with a pint of water to try and help, but some people were telling others not to get involved.

“Two young men helped him, one of them had a fire extinguisher and as it was running out he was frantically shouting 'what do I do, what do I do'.

“I went over with some wet towels to try and help the man - he was so badly burned, and I just looked into his eyes and all I saw was desperation and despair.”

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “The man, 47, has now been transferred to the Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, where he is currently in a critical condition.”