THERESA May’s plans for a hard Brexit have been greeted with both dismay and ecstasy.

A chamber of commerce chairman said it was difficult for any business owner to be enthusiastic about the announcement, but fishermen and tourist bosses were upbeat.

Peter Bennett of the Worthing Chamber of Commerce said: “Maybe its good for the electorate to feel safe from ‘foreign interference’ but a hard Brexit will not benefit business, academic institutions, service providers, students or language schools.

“Businesses of all kinds will be facing uncertainty because the Government has put control of our borders as a priority over keeping access to the single market.”

However, Peter Ellis, 70, who has worked in the Newhaven fishing industry for 40 years, said: “Fishermen will be overjoyed today. We will get a chance to claim back what Edward Heath gave away.

“It will stop our foreign competitors from taking the fish that swim in our territorial waters.”

On Tuesday the Prime Minister clarified the UK will negotiate a departure from the European Union that includes leaving the single market, the customs union and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

She said the UK would have complete control over immigration and would walk away from a bad deal, relying on World Trade Organisation (WTO) tariffs if necessary.

She also threatened European leaders that any attempt by the EU to enforce punitive terms on the UK would result in a fiercely competitive response.

She fell short of guaranteeing visa-free travel. Hove MP Peter Kyle said: “I will be demanding that the Government guarantees our city that tourists from the EU will be able to visit the UK visa-free after we leave the EU.”

The boss of a Sussex wine producer said she was worried about availability of labour.

Tamara Roberts, of Ridgeview Wine Estate, said: “Domestic seasonal labour is non-existent at the moment as British people like to have jobs all year round. Our seasonal workers usually come from the EU. So to suddenly cut this is a real issue.”

Professors at the University of Sussex hoped Mrs May’s mention of the UK staying in some EU programmes was a reference to Erasmus student exchanges.

But Professor Richard Lang of Brighton University said: “It’s hard to see how it can be run in isolation.

“If the UK is to reach out to Europe they will have to come up with an equivalent scheme.”