A family moved by the plight of a showman who lost his Punch and Judy dolls in a flat blaze have offered to donate him their own puppets.

Diana Hope, 54, said she hoped Michael Stone, whose stage name is Sergeant Stone, would be able to put them to good use.

Mrs Hope, of Aberdeen Road, Brighton, heard how the showman's puppets had been badly burnt in a flat fire after her mum read it in The Argus.

She said: "I have had them for a long time and I just thought if he could make use of them then good.

"I worked in a nursery when my husband was in the Army. Someone donated them for a raffle and I won the raffle.

"I have got a Punch and a Judy, a Mr Plod and a clown one."

Mrs Hope rediscovered the puppets when she began clearing out cupboards ready to move house.

Mr Stone's second-floor flat in Lewes Road was severely damaged when flames tore through the building.