The Seven Deadly Sins were put to the torch during a ghostly night of Spanish antics in Brighton.

Organisers of the East Brighton Fiesta, held over the weekend at Moulsecoomb's Wild Park, took a centuries-old festival in Valencia as its inspiration.

About 300 volunteers, collaborating with artists, spent two weeks creating a 30ft bonfire design based on the Seven Deadly Sins.

Coloured horses and ghostly figures representing each sin were surrounded by lost souls burning in the flames of Hell.

As darkness fell and the full moon rose, a samba band played and a procession of figures carrying torches stepped up to the rainbow-coloured artwork and set fire to it.

The flammable artwork was designed by members of arts collective Same Sky and funded by government regeneration project eb4U.

Artist Patrick Bullock said: "This kind of thing is a one-off. It's not like a stage show.

"You see this amazing creation and then you watch it disappear forever."

Inspiration for the event came from a Same Sky trip to the Valencia festival, which goes on for a week.

In Spain, more than 700 effigies are burnt at crossroads throughout the city and people make offerings to a flower-bedecked figure of the Virgin Mary.

Same Sky's bonfire was made from wood, papier mache, bamboo and woven willow branches.

Fireworks were hidden in the structure so that when the flames took hold sparks and smoke flew from the horses' mouths and firecrackers went off.

Saturday night's extravaganza was the second festival of its kind to be held in Brighton.

Last year it was staged in Whitehawk and the volunteers who worked on it became part of a "legacy group" of community artists called Cloud Nine. This year, Moulsecoomb community workers have formed a collective called Fly High.

Seven different groups, including Cloud Nine, each picked a sin to work on and Fly High also helped make the main structure.

Janet Cook, one of the Fly High volunteers, said: "It's so exciting. The skills we have been learning in the workshops are amazing."

Children and teenagers also helped out at the workshops.

Sadie Star, six, from Moulsecoomb, said: "I did the black horse that was meant to be Anger and some of the flames."

The event ended with a spectacular firework display by pyrotechnics group World Famous.

Same Sky artistic director John Varah said: "It's a wonderful event and I hope we're going to get funding to put it on again next year."