A restaurant selling some of the world's best oysters opens its doors today.

The Loch Fyne venue is the first new business to open in the former Debenhams store in Western Road, Brighton, as part of the £7.5 million refurbishment of the city centre site The restaurant is in the first finished unit in the former store.

The site has been refurbished to house four retail outlets at street level and 22 flats above.

Work is still continuing on the luxury flats and they will be ready for sale next year.

Andy Lees, of Graves Jenkins, who is handling the project on behalf of the owners Awan International, said: "Brighton is the place to be at the moment and the location, quality and the design of these apartments is making them extremely popular."

The restaurant chain started in Argyll using oysters from its own beds in Loch Fyne and locally- caught fish.

The chain has rapidly expanded since the first one opened on the shores of the loch in 1977.

This is the first time it has moved into Sussex, although it does have other restaurants in London and the South-East.

Started by Scottish landowner John Noble in 1977, the restaurants are based on the reputation of oysters from Loch Fyne, Scotland's longest sea loch, on the western coast.