Rats have been cleared from a seafront public garden which had become infested with them.

Pest control officers were sent in after vermin nested in the sunken garden near the Peace Statue on the boundary of Brighton and Hove.

Many residents reported seeing rats darting in and out of the garden's hedgerows next to the seafront esplanade.

Rodney Posner, owner of The Meeting Place cafe on Hove seafront, said many of his customers had complained of seeing rats running in and out of the garden. Now he said the vermin seemed to have gone.

He said: "I'm quite happy now. None has been seen near my premises and no one has complained of seeing any in the gardens since."

Brighton and Hove City Council has taken down the fencing which had sealed off the garden.

A council spokesman said: "We shut the gardens for about a month, finally reopening them about a week ago.

"We laid rat poison down there. The poison was eaten and we subsequently found some rats' bodies.

"As far as we can tell the area is clear now. We have had no more reports from the public.

"Rats are everywhere in all major cities.

"People often seem to think sightings of them are a sign of urban decay or neglect.

"In fact they are probably more common in upmarket residential gardens where they get fat on food put out for birds and live in cosy compost heaps.

"But they can be a health hazard so we always encourage people to report them."