Brighton swept to an emphatic victory in the Ken Deeley Sprints at the Prince Regent.

They defeated nationally-respected clubs like Portsmouth, Beckenham and Staines.

Laura West, Emma Eaves and Holly White each completed a hat-trick of victories for Brighton.

Clubmates Jack Smith and Isobel Rogers also triumphed on a great day for Sussex.

Forty out of 68 winners came from the county.

Brighton beat Beckenham into second place by nearly 40 points with Staines third.

Laura, a pupil at Boundstone, Lancing, said: "The secret of our success is the training programme. It is brilliant."

Hastings Seagull were the next best Sussex club with nine wins through Andrew Eaton (3), Natasha Holt (2), James Lawton, Rebecca Barrie and brother and sister Kevin and Joanne Pickard.

Top individual swimmer was Sussex champion Richard Thorne, who notched up four of East Grinstead's six triumphs.

The Fonthill Lodge pupil, ten, scored in the butterfly, freestyle, backstroke and medley and was runner-up to clubmate Samuel Wright in the breaststroke.

Richard's mother Maria Thorne said: "He is not big-headed, but Richard does not expect to lose. His best times put him in the top three at butterfly, freestyle and backstroke for his age according to the ASA website."

Nicola Lydall won the 14-year-old freestyle.

Philip Durrant claimed the 14-year-old boys' butterfly, freestyle and medley races for Haywards Heath, supported by victories from clubmates Jodie Miller (13-year-old freestyle) and Chelsea Gumbrell (12-year-old breaststroke).

Charlotte Woodiscroft, 11, won the breaststroke for Shiverers and brother Stuart, claimed the nine-year-old crown in the same stroke.

Sisters Lucy and Rachel Swerling, also Shiverers, were first in the ten-year-olds' and 15-year-olds' butterfly competition.

Matthew Wooldridge, 11, was Littlehampton's only winner, but he managed a successful treble at backstroke, freestyle and butterfly.

Ricky Garcia (Eastbourne) and Chelsey Macdonald (Hailsham) rounded off the Sussex triumphs. Ricky, 12, won the freestyle and Chelsey, nine, the breaststroke.

Worthing, Brighton Dolphin, Burgess Hill, Lewes, Crawley and the Smith's Squad (Eastbourne) were the other Sussex clubs to compete.