Campaigners have vowed to continue their fight to stop an aquarium exhibiting live seals, penguins and otters.

Representatives from animal rights groups and the Green Party staged a demonstration outside the Sea Life Centre in Brighton at the weekend.

They warned they would be back again this Saturday and Sunday and would keep up the pressure until the application is discussed by Brighton and Hove City Council next month.

Campaigners say two tanks which the centre plans to build at the bottom of steps in the entrance could become a target for drunken revellers in the city and put the animals at risk of attack.

However Sea Life says the pools would help raise awareness of the plight of seal populations in the wild and it was committed to protecting animals and creating the best environment for them.

The protest groups involved in the demo included Brighton Animal Action, the Born Free Foundation, International Marine Rescue and the Captive Animal Protection Society, and the Green Party.

Sue Baumgardt from Hove, the Green Party national spokeswoman for animal rights and a member of Brighton Animal Action, said: "We have had a lot of public support and interest today and lots of people have signed our petition.

"We are not happy with this application and believe it is a step backwards for animal rights. We will not accept this."

The animal rights group say they would prefer to see the area behind Black Rock in Brighton fitted with a booth out to the sea that could be used to rehabilitate seals back into the wild.

They say the depth of the netting could stop them from getting out, they could have feeding platforms and viewing platforms and the public could see seals in their natural environment.

Sea Life says it stands for conservation, research and education and has worked hard to get the design and structure of the planned enclosures right. The centre has between 250,000 to 260,000 visitors a year and 10,000-plus school visits a year.

As well as building two extra tanks, the centre plans to revamp two Victorian kiosks at the entrance to the site, build a rock and water feature and create a disabled exit.