An escaped prisoner was shot by police during a gun battle at a Brighton church today.

The man was shot in the leg after he opened fire on police who found him on scaffolding on the side of St Peter's - the most famous church in Brighton.

Just before 1am this morning he phoned the police, told them he was wanted by them and was at the church with a gun.

Officers, including members of the force's tactical firearms unit, arrived to find he had climbed the scaffolding on the east side of the church.

As clubbers streamed out of the busy Pressure Point and Gloucester clubs nearby, the man started shooting, firing several shots at officers nearby.

Several minutes are believed to have elapsed before the police responded.

They then fired one shot and - although officers did not realise it immediately - they hit the man in the leg.

Soon after the man surrendered to officers and was taken to hospital. He was treated there for injuries which are not life threatening.

He remained in hospital under police supervision today.

The Police Complaints Authority have been called in to probe the shooting at the request of Sussex Police and an officer from Kent Police has been appointed to head the investigation.

PCA member David Petch said police were still in the process of tracing the gunman's relatives but confirmed he had absconded from prison, where he was serving time for a serious violent crime.

The man is originally from Sussex.

Mr Petch said: "It appears this man was firing at the police but clearly someone discharging a firearm is a danger to the public.

"It's early days in the investigation and it will be very much down to the Kent Police to look into this further."

The road surrounding St Peter's Church were sealed off to traffic this morning, disrupting traffic on one of the busiest days of the year.

They were reopened again by 10.30am although parts of the church remained taped off by police cordon to allow scenes of crime officers to do their work.

The gun, which appeared to be handgun, was still lying where it had been dropped on the ground beneath the scaffolding while SOCO officers carried out a fingertip search of the surrounding area.

Two services were due to take place at the church on what is one of the most important dates in the Christian calendar.

With 100 people due to turn up for the 1pm service, anxious church officials made early contingency plans to move to nearby St Martin's Church.

However police reassured them their worship would not be disrupted and the services went ahead as planned.

Father Michael Spike Wells, associate priest at St Peter's, said the shooting was bound to have an effect on worshippers on such a religious day.

He said: "The events will slightly marr the day. But I suppose there is a kind of irony about the whole thing.

"Good Friday is when we remember the day of the cross, and if there is a shooting outside the church it reminds us of all the things Christ came to earth to redeem us for.

"But we will not let it spoil the day and the services. The truths of the cruxifiction and resurrection are eternal, even if circumstances were to stop us celebrating the day in our usual way."

Police are appealing for anyone with information about the shooting to call 0845 6070999 quoting Operation Pillar.