A £1 million children's playground launched two years ago in a blaze of publicity has become run-down, according to visitors.

They say the Pirates' Playground, by the West Pier in Brighton - described as a "kiddies' wonderland" when it was unveiled - is now in a sorry state.

Parents have complained that the attraction has been neglected, with paintwork crumbling and litter allowed to build up. A rope fence ripped down several months ago has not been repaired and weeds are growing through the wooden decking.

With the pool cracked and awaiting repair and rubbish overflowing from a wheelie bin nearby, the city council has been criticised for not making a special effort to keep the attraction clean for the holiday.

Trevor Pateman, of Western Road, Brighton, said he was disappointed the seafront play area was not up to scratch for the bank holiday weekend.

He said: "Was it ready for Easter? Were the stones and shingle cleared, the many tufts of grass pulled up, the sand raked, the paddling pool given a lick of blue paint and filled with water?

"Of course not."

Charles Knightley 33, of New Church Road, Hove, who regularly takes his two children aged three and four to the playground, said: "It would be unfair to say it is not kept tidy because the people who look after it obviously have to work hard.

"But the Easter holiday seems to have been a bit of a missed opportunity.

"The paddling pool looked old and neglected, like it always does."

Themed on pirates and tropical seas, the playground covers a 70-metre stretch from the Alfresco restaurant to the old bandstand.

The attraction replaced a 65-year-old concrete pool and features a pirates' castle and Buccaneer Bay, a sandpit shaped like a beach complete with sun shades in the shape of sails.

It has a wet and dry area featuring pumped water, play equipment and a coral sea paddling pool with bubble jets and a mushroom water fountain. Wooden decking surrounds the features.

DC Leisure, which is contracted to maintain the playground on the city council's behalf, dismissed the complaints.

Adam Powell, 18, who spends five hours a day cleaning the area, said: "After the Easter week, when all the kids go back to school, it's going to be fenced off and we are fixing the pool and spring cleaning.

"The toilets get in a mess because there are 12 loos and people use them all day.

"I go around from 9am until 11am and from 2pm to 5pm keeping things clean, emptying the bins and sweeping up the sand.

"It's a hard one because sand gets everywhere. Kids get it all over the decking, in the toilets and on the equipment. In summer we can have 300 or 400 people sitting around there and people have always got something to complain about. You get people coming up to you and saying there is a toilet blocked and you say you'll clean it up but it's the public who make the mess.

"You get a lot of people littering in the summer and you get a lot of drunks coming in to use the toilets because they are the nicest ones."

Mr Powell said the pool was not due to be filled until April 28.

A council spokeswoman said: "The playground and the sandpit are cleaned every morning and the toilets are cleaned three times a day.

"Unfortunately, with lots of other parks and playgrounds to look after we just don't have the resources to have a cleaner on constant standby.

"We know the playground is very popular and, naturally, children can cause a mess but the area is thoroughly cleaned and put back to rights every morning.

"As for the paddling pool, none of our playground pools is open until May 1. We keep them closed during the colder months in the interests of safety."