Objectors in Worthing are celebrating victory in their campaign against a superpub's plans to open until midnight.

Pub giant Bar Med's plan for a £1 million pub in the former Landmark furniture store in Chapel Road could now be scrapped altogether.

The campaign was launched by Worthing residents in response to Bar Med's licensing application.

One objector said it would turn the seaside town into the South Coast's answer to Ibiza.

The town's licensing committee rejected the application after a heated four-hour meeting last night.

Two other nearby pubs - the Vintner's Parrot and Yates's Wine Lodge - pulled applications to open until midnight off the agenda at the last minutes.

Town centre residents today raised a glass to the decision.

They believe allowing the Bar Med bid would open the floodgates for late drinking across town, worsening the chaos they say the already high number of bars has brought to their streets.

Don MacQuarrie, 59, of Wenban Road, was one of more than a dozen members of the public at the meeting.

He said: "It's a great victory for people power. The whole meeting was devoted to the debate about Bar Med and it got quite stormy at times.

"We believe allowing all these new pubs into the town has spawned a monster in the shape of the army of yobs who invade our streets.

"We're not prepared to have these so-called superpubs foist Ibiza-style mayhem on Worthing."

Councillors rejected the application by five votes to two, saying it could lead to an increase in noise and crime.

Representatives from Bar Med, who made the application in advance of investing in the shop, told the meeting they would be forced to pull out if they could not get the late licence.

They had argued that staggering closing times would reduce trouble, as fewer people poured on to the streets in the 11.20pm dash for taxis and kebabs.

Bar Med is considering whether to appeal.