Graffiti is often condemned as mindless vandalism and the people who do it as the scourge of Brighton and Hove.

Sussex Police are using surveillance cameras to catch people daubing graffiti in the city streets and prosecuting offenders when they find them.

Richard Jay, known as the Bouncing Doughnut, has been fined for spray-painting his tag on a wall in Hove and police are on the lookout for others.

But a couple of teenagers want to paint a more positive image of street art.

Josh Howard, 15, and Jody Masouri, 18, are asking people's permission to paint on their property.

They hope their artwork will brighten up Brighton and make people rethink graffiti.

Josh, who attends Brighton College, said: "When graffiti is well done it is art.

"There are few places for us to legally do it where people can see it. There is no point giving us a wall stuck in the middle of nowhere. Art needs an audience."

Josh has permission to regularly paint a piece of wall of the Prince Albert pub in Trafalgar Street, Brighton.

Pub owner Chris Steward said: "I gave my permission because beforehand the wall was constantly being daubed with obscenities and lots of rubbish scrawl which looked terrible. We had to keep painting over it.

"I'd rather have one piece which is well done and gives these graffiti artists some space to do what they want."

Josh and Jody work alone and as a team knocking on the doors of businesses and homes asking if they can spraypaint part of the buildings.

They ask for the cost of the paint but choose their own designs.

Jody starts a Btec in art in September. When qualified, he hopes to become an illustrator.

He has worked on the shutters of gift shop Wanoti in Trafalgar Street, Brighton.

He has been told he can paint part of a house front near Brighton station, covering up illegal graffiti daubed there.

He said: "I believe art should be accessible to the public and I think the street is the best place for that to happen.

"Because the owners of the buildings know we are doing it, we can spend more time finishing it off properly.

"I love seeing graffiti if it is done well. I appreciate it is illegal but itsaddens me to hear people condemn it.

"People don't give it a fair chance.

"There could be a positive graffiti scene in Brighton. Prosecuting people like Bouncing Doughnut will make some want to rebel even more."