A rugby player made the greatest tackle of his life to bring down a handbag thief.

Greg Gaffney was walking along Jubilee Street in Brighton city centre when he made a split-second decision to stop the man who was being chased by a group of angry people.

The 36-year-old marketing consultant, who has played rugby since his school days, timed his tackle perfectly to bring down the stocky thief.

Greg, from Hove, said: "I had just come back from a meeting in London and was walking through Brighton and enjoying the sun. Then I saw this guy sprinting towards me and people shouting and running after him.

"I had seen some street performers earlier so it crossed my mind that this could have been some sort of play, but I realised it was serious. I put the laptop on the floor and went for him. He could see what I was about to do so he tried to go round me, but I managed to hold on.

"I got him to the floor and he was kicking out at me and trying to get away, but then the others caught up and an off-duty police officer got his hands behind his back.

"There was quite a big crowd by this point. My phone had smashed into pieces on the floor and the girl was saying 'Thank you' to me. I suppose you just act in those situations without really thinking about it."

Police confirmed a man was arrested at the scene of the incident, which took place on Thursday at about 2.45pm. Yesterday (FRI) he was still being questioned by detectives.

Greg, who plays outside centre, learned his rugby as a pupil at the prestigious Whitgift School, in Croydon. He was left nursing minor cuts and an injured wrist after the scuffle.

He said: "I haven't played rugby for a while, but you don't forget the things you are taught. My wrist is quite painful so I'm going to the hospital to get it checked out, whenever you run into someone at that speed it's going to hurt.

"I went for his legs and made sure he came down with me. I certainly wasn't dressed for rugby - I had my suit on and ended up with rips in the knees. It was worth it though, I'm just pleased we got the bag back."

A Sussex Police spokesman said the handbag had been snatched from the nearby Jubilee Library, and confirmed the suspect was detained by members of the public.