BRIGHTON was brought to a standstill tonight as thousands took to the streets in protest against Donald Trump’s immigration policy.

Traffic ground to a halt as the crowd marched from Brighton Town Hall up North Street to the station and then to the seafront.

There was chanting and flares were lit but the march was good natured with no arrests at the time of going to press.

Similar marches were held in towns and cities across the country, including in London where thousands gathered outside Downing Street.

The action was called in response to the President’s travel ban which prohibits entry into America for citizens from several Muslim countries.

Elena Biano, 24, who is a student at the University of Sussex, said: “It has been amazing, I didn’t expect anything like this.

“The crowd started chanting and there was so much energy and we thought ‘let’s go into the street and stop traffic’ so we did.

“Buses stopped for us and people were climbing out of the buses to join the march. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Organisers had called on people to gather at Brighton Town Hall at 6pm.

The protest, which was organised less than 24 hours before, saw speeches by councillors and charity leaders before several hundred more arrived.

This included a number of balaclava-clad demonstrators who lit flares and led the gathering on an impromptu march.

First they headed up North Street, forcing buses to pull over and stop.

The crowd then turned right at the Clock Tower on to Queen’s Road before heading to Brighton Station.

At its peak the crowd was 20 abreast, spreading across the city’s main roads.

There were dozens of homemade placards carrying slogans including “Bridges not walls,” “punks against the Muslim ban” and “Arabic and angry”.

Throughout the crowd chanted its defiance at the new President’s latest attack on America’s founding principles.

After circling near the station the group then headed down North Road chanting “Say Hey, Say Ho, Donald Trump has got to go.”

A dozen police officers lined the route but one told The Argus that the force had been caught unawares when what was planned as a protest turned into a march.

Organiser Harriet Ward, a teaching assistant, said she was delighted to see so many in attendance given that they had been given just 24 hours’ notice.

She said: “I think it’s absolutely outrageous that Theresa May was so late to condemn Trump’s actions.

“France Germany and Canada said they wouldn’t stand for this and Theresa May didn’t until far later and in far weaker terms.

“We want to make it known that the ‘Theresa The Appeaser’ tactic is not acceptable.”

Police said upward of 2,000 people took part in the protest.

Superintendent Lawrence Hobbs said: “We did have to close North Road to allow those who wanted to march to move through the city and this did cause some disruption to motorists and buses. The march has been mainly peaceful and there has been no arrests.”