Workmen have uncovered a stash of gin bottles in what is thought to be the remnants of secret tunnel leading from a church to a pub over the road.

Electricians made the discovery at St Andrew's Church in Waterloo Street, Hove, after smashing through a paving slab to check the lightning rod rod was earthed.

They uncovered a 14ft by 8ft chamber littered with dozens of old glass bottles.

The hoard included an old fashioned cardboard-top style milk bottle and a square-cut clear glass bottle but most of the stash appeared to be green gin bottles.

Several bore the legend "Gordon's Special Dry Gin" and had an old-fashioned hinge-tops. Many still had liquor inside them.

Mike Robins, the church custodian and historian, said there were rumours that a secret underground tunnel from the church to the Iron Duke pub, then named The Kerrison, was built so that Victorian gentry could sneak across after sermons without their servants seeing.

He said: "The electrician was banging away at the pavement to make a small hole.

"Then we realised there was a bit of a drop under the pavement so we would need to make a bigger hole and suddenly the concrete collapsed.

"The electrician crawled down into the dark and said it was full of bottles.

"It was like a dungeon. I crawled down myself. I didn't mind the dark and the rubble because it was so exciting. There were about three dozen bottles of all different sizes.

"I know there's a legend about a secret tunnel from the church to the pub but we've never found the entrance to it. It's all very mysterious.

"This sort of discovery is really important in terms of finding out about how people used to live.

"As the church historian it helps me to learn more about the church and the social life of the time.

"Now I have to find out how and why they are there and who put them there. It's a case of fitting the jigsaw together."

Mr Robins said he would clean off some of the bottles and hoped that he would be able to date some of them.

Electrician Darren James said: "I just thought there would be a bit of rubble but we found all these bottles.

"We didn't find anyone who had been drinking them though.

"There was no obvious blocked off doorway but if there was a tunnel it would explain why all the bottles were there."

The church, which dates back to 1828, was designed by architect Sir Charles Barry, who also designed St Peter's, Brighton's parish church, and went on to rebuild the Houses of Parliament after a fire in 1834.

The church is the only one in Hove which has a crypt.

It holds 55 bodies buried in leather coffins.

Although the church is no longer used for worship, Mr Robins, who works for the Churches Conservation Trust, runs the building as an educational resource for children and a tourist attraction.

From July 16 to 24 it is hosting an exhibition for National Archaeology Week which will now include the gin bottles.

For more information, contact Mike Robins on 01273 326491.