A BUSINESS group in Sussex has mocked parking and traffic problems in Brighton claiming they are damaging the city.

Brighton and Hove's annual parking report revealed traffic wardens handed out 123,556 tickets over the last financial year.

This prompted Locate East Sussex - whose mission is to support growing businesses in the county - to come forward and blast the city.

It says that among the business owners who considered moving their company to Brighton but opted for Eastbourne instead was Mike Dobell, co-owner of a thriving online menswear company dobell.co.uk.

He said: "When looking where to locate our head office, we considered many options but ruled out Brighton because of the lack of parking and exorbitant fees.

"As an online retailer, it is crucial that we have good access routes to London and the M25 as well as plentiful parking for our staff.

"We have a big yard space in Eastbourne which we use for both staff parking and for loading deliveries which we feel would not have been so readily available in Brighton, if at all."

Wild Bangarang was set up by entrepreneurs Adam Jay and David Pearson in 2014 and specialises in printed clothing.

To date, the company’s success has been built on designs based on popular computer games such as World of Warcraft and Power Rangers.

Mr Jay said: "Seaford is the perfect place for creativity, we can easily access the beach for some creative thinking space but it is accessible and close to both London and Gatwick.

"Parking is free and plentiful and it offers a great lifestyle for me, my family and my staff in contrast to Brighton with its lack of parking and high permit costs."

Philip Johnson, director of Locate East Sussex, said: "Lower parking charges in East Sussex outside of Brighton are hugely beneficial to both customers and employees.

"This is just one of many reasons more and more companies are basing themselves in East Sussex, alongside excellent transport links, value for money business space and a great standard of living."

But Sarah Springford, director of Brighton Chamber of Commerce, hit back: "The Brighton economy has grown relatively quickly over the last ten years and there are challenges to solve like transport, housing, workspace. and many organisations are involved in working on solutions.

"But Brighton and the surrounding area is a brilliant place to base your business.

"There is huge energy and a strong eco system within the business community that is very valuable to the businesses here."