Thieves stole £12,000 of electrical goods - and crashed their getaway car into a row of parked vehicles as police gave chase.

The men broke into the Bang & Olufsen store at Church Road, Hove, just after 4am and stole several items. The shop specialises in hi-fis and televisions.

The men sped away in a Vauxhall Astra which had been reported stolen from nearby Summerhill Avenue.

A police spokeswoman said officers responded to the shop's alarm at 4.05am and pursued the getaway car.

She said: "We were following the suspects but they crashed their car into some stationary vehicles at Willoughby Villas. We believe the men could have been injured in the crash.

"The men got out and ran and police chased them. Unfortunately we lost them but officers recovered the car and the £12,000 of equipment."

The spokeswoman said there were two or three suspects, one of whom wore a distinctive red coat.

She said he was 5ft 9in 5ft 11, aged 25 to 35 with fair, cropped hair.

She continued: "We would appeal to anyone around at that time who saw people acting suspiciously to get in touch."

Anyone with information should contact Brighton police on 0845 6070999 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

No one from Bang & Olufsen was available for comment.