PART of a seafront road was evacuated last night as the roof of a £1.5 million three-star hotel caved in.

There were serious concerns the Sackville Hotel in Hove could collapse entirely, throwing hundreds of tons of masonry and scaffolding onto the seafront.

Although no one was hurt, road closures caused traffic chaos as firefighters were sent in to examine the structure using a turntable ladder.

A large section of the seafront is expected to be closed for the bank holiday, meaning queues for thousands of tourists travelling along the coast at the weekend.

Inspector Dick Shelton, of Sussex Police, said: "The road and the pavement are going to be closed for the forseeable future.

"At this moment we do not know how long that will be.

"We have to assume the building could collapse at any time.

"For safety reasons we will have to keep the road closed."

The roof of the hotel - which was undergoing a £5 million facelift and was empty - collapsed at 8.30pm, taking out several of the floors beneath.

The front of the upper floors then collapsed inward and the emergency services established at least one corner of the hotel was unstable.

Eight fire crews, ambulances and police were called to make the area safe.

The 45-room hotel, built more than 100 years ago, has suffered from under-investment by more than a dozen owners in the past 15 years.

But its new owners, Sackville Hotel Ltd, were ploughing millions into restoring it to its Fifties heyday in the hope it would regain five-star status.

It was due to reopen in the spring of 2007 but the refit, which included a new swimming pool, gym, sauna and spa and private apartments, has now been thrown into disarray. Scaffolding covering the facade appeared buckled in the centre and cars parked below were covered in a thick layer of dust.

Civil engineers were being brought to ascertain how safe the building was and if there was a danger of an imminent collapse.

Several firefighters were hoisted into the air, while lights were focused on the building to enable them to see the extent of the damage.

A crowd which had gathered to watch the emergency operation was kept at a safe distance as part of the Girton House complex of flats next door was evacuated.

The hotel's third floor was being converted into four residential units.

A six-storey rear extension housing five residential units and the swimming pool complex was also being built.

Onlooker Derek Asquith, a builder from Falmouth in Cornwall, said: "I didn't see it come down but it looks like the whole roof and the centre of the building has gone.

"When you add height to buildings like this you have to make sure the load bearing structure is not damaged or you can lose the whole lot."

Bystander Gerry Regan, who was cycling past the building just after the collapse and lives nearby, said: "I've been in there a few times for a drink - it's such a beautiful building.

"It's got some really beautiful pillars at the front but I fear the whole building will now have to be torn down.

"I believe they were adding some height to the building and perhaps that put too much stress on the original structure and its foundations."

The Sackville was built in 1904 and, in its heyday in the Fifties and Sixties, stars such as Douglas Fairbanks Junior, Margaret Rutherford and politician Manny Shinwell were regular guests.

In recent years, Brighton and Hove City Council, has used rooms in the hotel as temporary accommodation for the homeless and those on social security.