Brighton and Hove's first 'ladyboy boutique' has opened its doors.

Lacie's Boutique, in Portland Road, Hove, is described as an essential stop for ladyboys, cross dressers and transvestites.

Owner Sue Sheppard, 46, has run the shop as a specialist clothes outlet for four years but has now spent £20,000 on the month-long refurbishment to create a high-class boutique.

It stocks underwear, dresses and shoes in larger sizes to accommodate all customers and has 22 different styles of maid outfit alone.

Sue said: "We've added a bit of sparkle to the place and it is now a beautiful boutique.

"Brighton is a big party town and everyone likes to dress up - but people don't want to wear something cheap and tacky."

Sue, herself a transsexual, has been successfully running a Lacie's Boutique in Kent for twelve years. She was able to start the original business with a government grant after realising there was a growing market for larger clothing.

She said: "There is a big demand for our products in the city. Portland Road may seem like an unlikely place for such a niche shop but everyone is so friendly and accepting - I think it's the perfect location."

Most of the clothes at the shop are hand-made in Thailand in an array of sizes.

Sue said: "We're bringing a bit of Thailand to the street. We are next to a Thai takeaway and opposite a Thai massage centre - and the traffic is so bad it could easily be Thailand on certain days."

There is also a range of platform shoes with six-inch heels which go up to a UK size 12.

Sue now stocks other products including herbal breast enhancement pills and extra large stockings.

She said: "People will come and find us as they don't mind travelling for a shop they like.

"We already have people travelling a long way for our products - it's not as if you can a pair of silicone breast cones at Tesco."