Anti-austerity squatters have taken over an empty branch of Barclays on Preston Road with the intention of creating a “radical alternative community space”.

One of the campaigners, Lucy Parsons, appealed for help on social media after the occupation, which followed an anti-austerity march in Brighton city centre on Saturday afternoon.

She appealed for donations of sofas, mattresses, cooking materials and food as well as books and art materials.

She said: “People of Brighton are creating a radical alternative community space, a space for organising actions to challenge all recent and ongoing political events.

“Unfortunately we can only get in via a ladder over a wall at moment – we are looking to change this as soon as we can.

We are calling out to the community to get involved and make use of this free space. Come and share your ideas and resources.

“People with experience or knowledge of law, homelessness issues, migrants, benefits and advice, healthcare, arts and crafts, squatting, sustainability, alternatives, eviction resistance and other demos/actions, and any other skills and knowledge you wish to share are welcome.”

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “At 5.30pm on Saturday (6 June) police received a report that a number of people had entered the site of the old Barclays Bank in Preston Road, Brighton. There is already a squat there and it is not currently a police matter.”