Levels of graffiti in Brighton and Hove have hit a new low following a massive cleaning blitz on city centre streets.

New figures from Brighton City Centre Business Forum show the incidence of graffiti reached its lowest in three years in March, following a crackdown in which shops, cafes, offices, bars and clubs were scrubbed clean.

The forum has been monitoring graffiti since March 2001, after devising a method of measuring its concentration in a given street.

The number of graffiti signatures are counted and then divided by the length in metres of the street. A quotient of 1.00 means there is a small amount of graffiti.

In North Laine, which has traditionally attracted the most graffiti in the city, the quotient fell from 2.30 in December last year, to 0.50 in April. At its peak, in March 2001, the level stood at 8.30 - most buildings were daubed with spray paint.

In The Lanes the quotient was even lower in April, standing at 0.12. In December it was 0.22 and at its height, in May last year, it was 0.34.

The rest of the city centre combined had a quotient of just 0.03 in April, compared to a three-year high of 0.99 in December.

The clean-up saw the city council spend £30,000 hiring in contractors to help traders and residents get rid of the menace.

City Centre manager Tony Mernagh said: "The big clean up was obviously a huge success.

"Although I am thrilled with the positive results, however, it is important all business owners remember to be vigilant and keep up the good work."