Thousands of fans braved the rain to celebrate Brighton and Hove Albion's promotion to Division One.

The start of the victory parade at King's House in Grand Avenue, Hove, was marred by bad weather and just a few hundred fans lined the streets but by the end, more than 2,000 people came out to cheer on their heroes.

The triumphant players, backroom staff, directors and their families waved at the crowds following their convoy of three buses, adorned with with hats, shirts, flags and umbrellas in the Albion's famous blue and white stripes.

As the Carnival Collective band led the buses along Kings Road and towards Madeira Drive, the small army of fans began to grow larger until there were at least 500 fans shouting the signature chant of their star striker: "Leon Knight, Knight, Knight!"

Knight and Albion favourite Danny Cullip waved bashfully as they were treated to clapping, cheers and songs from the sea of admirers on the pavements below.

Meanwhile, cars following the parade honked their horns and guests at the Ramada Jarvis and Hilton West Pier hotels came out on to their balconies to show their approval.

Hopes for a new stadium at Falmer were on the minds of many fans and some wore T-shirts displaying John Prescott's grinning face with messages beseeching him to allow the new ground to be built.

Even the team buses carried banners declaring: "Professional football club. GSOH. Needs home".

Aimee Knowles, 18, from Peacehaven, said: "It's all we talk about. We are not going to let this drop until we have a new ground and a secure future.

"It's absolutely brilliant that we've been promoted but it's ridiculous that we will have to play teams like West Ham and Leeds at the Withdean.

"We've got the best fans in the country and we need a bigger ground so that they can all come to the matches and support their team."

Hotels and restaurants along the seafront displayed £3 flags and blue and white balloons and were rewarded with healthy takings from the extra crowds.

The manager of Kings Road restaurant Buddies, known as Jed, said after the parade: "It was enjoyable although it was a bit short. We had a hell of a lot of fans in this morning.

"I was anticipating starting at 9am but it didn't really get going until 10am. We must have had 30 or 40 families in. The majority were from the area, although I was chatting to people from Worthing and Hastings."

It is seven weeks since the Seagulls beat Bristol City at the Nationwide Championship Division Two play-offs to clinch an immediate return to Division One in the Coca Cola Championship and the team seems not to have lost its ability to bounce back from adversity.

Just as the driving rain seemed likely to turn the parade into a damp squib, the thick cloud cover suddenly broke to allow the sun through. By the time the buses reached Madeira Drive, the seafront was bathing in glorious sunshine and the small band of supporters had turned into a crowd of thousands.

As Albion's promotion-winning heroes were presented to the crowd by Southern FM's Richard Linfield, a sea of blue and white sang along to John Lennon's Give Peace A Chance: "All we are saying, is give us a ground."

Albion chairman Dick Knight said: "Thank you Seagulls fans - what can I say? The sun is shining on us again and it's a wonderful day here in Brighton and a wonderful day for our club."

In a reference to the fact the club has been promoted three times in five years he said: "We are making a habit of this. It's like Brighton and Hove's buses - you don't see one for a while and then several come along at once.

"This club is back in the first division at the first attempt. We are founder members of the Coca Cola Championship but what would you expect from a team with a lot of bottle?"

Mr Knight paid tribute to Steve Coppell, Albion's last manager who left for a job at first division club Reading last season.

He said: "He put us on the road to Cardiff. It's a shame he got off at Reading but we've got a great replacement."

He called for an end to Albion's nomadic existence and a decision on Falmer stadium and said: "I have a dream and you have a dream and thousands of Albion fans everywhere have a dream. It's time, Mr Prescott, you allowed us to fulfil our field of dreams at Falmer."

Seagulls manager Mark McGhee said: "It was without any shadow of a doubt the proudest moment of my career when I led the boys out on to the pitch at Cardiff."