There is no finer place in England to live, or visit, than Sussex.

To prove the point, tens of thousands of people headed for the coast from London and the Home Counties this weekend to lap up the glorious early spring sunshine.

Brighton and Hove was brimming with daytrippers, attracted and seduced by the seafront bars and cafes, The Lanes and North Laine shopping experience, and the marina.

Surveying the tide of humanity enveloping the city, it was hard to imagine a more popular place in the country.

Many of those land-locked souls who trooped to the seaside, especially the ones with families in tow, must surely have thought: "I wouldn't mind living here."

And therein lies the problem.

With Brighton, and neighbouring resorts such as Eastbourne, Worthing and Bognor looking so enticing, the flow of people moving from the crime-ravaged streets of the capital will surely continue to pick up pace.

And this will inevitably lead to ever-increasing house prices, a problem highlighted on page four of The Argus today.

Many people born and bred in Brighton and Hove, and other towns along the south coast, can no longer afford to buy a home.

But Karis Developments and Southern Primary Housing have joined forces to build a £15 million housing scheme on the old Endeavour garage site on the A23.

If approved by planners, it will be the first major building project in the city to have 40 per cent of the homes on offer classified as affordable housing.

Even so, this will be only a drop in the ocean compared to the number of properties urgently needed by those trying to get on the ladder.

And as people are priced out of Brighton and Hove, so the cost of homes in other towns will soar, fuelling an already critical situation.

Karis and Southern Primary Housing are to be commended, and we can only hope that other developers will follow suit, backed to the hilt by the council.

But many fear that demand will always outstrip supply, forcing Sussex people out of the county for good.