Social services workers today staged a protest against the sacking of two of their colleagues.

More than 50 Brighton and Hove City Council workers stood outside the offices in Grand Avenue, Hove, claiming their colleagues had been used as scapegoats.

Dave Pamely and John Barrow were sacked yesterday after disciplinary hearings over the case of four-year-old John Smith, who died after abuse from his adoptive parents.

It was alleged Mr Pamely and Mr Barrow, who saw injuries on the boy from August to the day he died on Christmas Eve 1999 but did not seek medical help, could have prevented his death.

At the protest, Andy Richards, chairman of Unison, said: "We lost 20 social workers posts in 1999 and we said then it was going to cause real problems and could lead to children being unprotected.

"We feel these two individuals are being scapegoated for managerial failings. The accountability has stopped with these two and not gone any higher."

Social worker Diana Leach said: "Both of these men had supervisors and managers who were aware that they were stressed and over worked."

John suffered at the hands of his adoptive parents, Simon and Michelle McWilliam, and there were several injuries on his body, including adult bite marks and a cut to his penis, at the time of his death.

Mr and Mrs McWilliam, of Gardener Road, Fishersgate, were jailed for eight years in October. They are appealing against the sentences.

In a report into John's death, independent investigator Alyson Leslie said the boy would be alive had it not been for a catalogue of errors and misjudgements by social services.

John's family have welcomed the dismissals.

His mother, Marion, said "It won't bring my John back but at least they won't be responsible for other children."