A Brighton drugs den which police believe has been the centre of a crime wave was boarded up last night.

Police stood guard over the five-storey building in Montpelier Road as council contractors put metal frames over the windows.

Earlier, Brighton and Hove City Council was granted permission to board it up against squatters.

Police allowed inside for the first time found the former Squirrels Hotel in a disgusting condition.

Used syringes were found in every room, some next to stained mattresses, where police believed the occupants had slept in a drugs-induced stupor.

Water was running from a broken pipe above a dirty kitchen sink and there was rubbish and rotting food in all the rooms.

The banisters of the once well-run hotel in the centre of Brighton had been ripped apart, making the stairs dangerous.

There was evidence of mouse droppings and neighbours had reported seeing rats.

Acting Inspector Steve Curry, one of the officers liaising with the city council to get the premises closed, said: "This is one of the worst squats I have ever seen.

"There are needles in every room. The property has been vandalised. It is a danger and a health hazard.

"There have been between three and ten people living here, committing crimes in the city centre to pay for their drugs.

"These people have been stealing from cars, shoplifting and trying to get their hands on credit cards.

"They have not been stealing for material gain, just to get money for their drug habit.

"We will see a marked drop in crime in this area now."