A good Samaritan who tried to stop men stealing from a convenience store had his head stamped on during a brutal attack.

The 48-year-old man, who has not been named, intervened when he spotted two thieves at the Co-op in Portland Road, Hove, around 10.15pm on Sunday.

An argument started and one of the men knocked the man to the ground outside the store and then stamped on his head.

Horrified staff raised the alarm and police arrested one of the men, a local man in his 20s, in a nearby garden. Last night he was in custody.

Officers are continuing to look for the other man who was involved in the attack.

Paramedics treated the victim at the scene for a serious head injury before he was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

He is believed to have been treated for a blood clot and police said his condition was "serious but stable" last night.

The area outside the Co-op was sealed off and the store was closed yesterday as the investigation continued.

Detectives examined footage from security cameras at the store and nearby street CCTV to try to identify the suspects.

Residents living in the area yesterday expressed their shock at the vicious attack.

One said: "We have had a few incidents in this area in my time but this is one of the most brutal I've heard of."

Last night a spokesman for Sussex Police appealed for information and witnesses to the attack.

He said: "The man intervened when he saw what was going but unfortunately the Good Samaritan has been on the receiving end of a very vicious assault.

"We caught one of the men very quickly in a nearby garden and we have a number of good leads we think will lead us to catch the other one."

Anyone with information or who witnessed the attack is asked to call Sussex Police on 0845 6070999.