Sussex Chief Constable Paul Whitehouse was booted out of his post last night.

Members of the Sussex Police Authority asked him not to work his notice after a secret meeting yesterday.

Effectively forced to resign by Home Secretary David Blunkett, the chief expected to continue in the hot seat until his formal retirement day of September 25.

But faced with an ultimatum by Mr Blunkett to take action to "restore public confidence", the authority believed it had little choice but to ask the chief to immediately clear his desk.

Mr Whitehouse will remain Chief Constable in name until his retirement but day-to-day operations will be run by Deputy Chief Constable Maria Wallis.

She has taken command until Mr Whitehouse's successor is appointed.

Friends of the chief said he was saddened by the ignominious end to his police career but that he was still determined to clear his name.

In a short statement, he said: "I wish Maria Wallis and all my colleagues the very best of luck and I am sorry I can't say goodbye to everyone personally."

The chief announced his retirement last week, following attacks over the fatal police shooting of an unarmed naked man, James Ashley, in Hastings in 1998.

Officers involved in the operation were cleared of criminal wrongdoing but there was criticism of the chief for his statement following the death in which he backed his officers.

He was accused of misleading the public and he was briefly suspended by the authority. More attacks followed after The Argus revealed he had promoted two officers involved in the operation.

The Home Secretary's ultimatum led to yesterday's "private" meeting of all authority members. Afterwards, the authority issued a statement: "The decision today that Mr Whitehouse's operational role in the force will cease immediately is a proper reflection of the views held by members of the authority. We wish Mr Whitehouse well in his retirement. We have full confidence in Mrs Wallis.

"A new chief constable will be appointed as soon as is reasonably practicable."

Mrs Wallis stressed the force will remain focused on fighting crime and improving performance. She said early signs since April were that, in most crime categories, Sussex was moving in the right direction.

She appealed to officers and staff: "This has been a difficult time for the force but the task for everyone in Sussex Police is to stay focused so we can continue moving forward together."

In another twist to the story last night, The Argus learned the chief and the authority had agreed he would announce his early retirement even before Mr Blunkett issued his demand.

One observer said: "The Home Secretary grasped the opportunity to steal the authority's thunder so he could be seen as a man of muscle. The truth is, Mr Whitehouse was going anyway."