A climbing wall used by disadvantaged children is on offer to the most suitable bidder after the club which ran it lost a planning appeal.

Organisers of Craggers climbing club, a group for disadvantaged families and jobless people, are being forced to tear down the wall after the Brighton and Hove council verdict.

They had fought to keep the facility, built on the side of a house in Sutherland Road, Brighton, after neighbours complained about noise and loss of privacy.

Organisers said they were originally told they did not need planning permission when they asked three years ago.

But almost a year after they had raised enough money to build it, councillors ruled they would take enforcement action if the wall was not removed within six months.

Now the Craggers want the fruits of their labour to go to another good cause.

Co-founder Tony Hemingway, who lives in the house, said: "We want to give it away to another voluntary organisation in the city as long as they allow disadvantaged families to use it for free.

"This decision is going to disappoint a lot of people and will set us back with training people.

"We spent two-and-a-half years raising the money to build it and now we have to tear it down. It's just awful and it seems so mean-spirited."

Brighton and Hove City Council planners took action after neighbours complained about noise while council officials found the flat roof on top of the wall did not conform to building regulations.

But Mr Hemingway said the wall had been brilliant for giving confidence and pleasure to people and was not noisy.

The group had been shocked to lose the appeal because they believed they had a good case, aided by DMH Solicitors who offered free legal support.

He said: "We were convinced we would win but in the end we lost. Now we want some good to come out of it.

"We have more than 40 members and more than half of them are children.

"They have been using this wall as a completely safe activity and it is wonderful to see them exercising and enjoying themselves.

"We want people to know how disappointed we are but to let other groups know this is available and should ideally go to disadvantaged groups, not just for someone's personal use."

Acting planning chairman, Councillor Bob Carden, said: "We appreciate what Craggers is trying to do for young people but this is in the wrong place.

"We were concerned about its appearance, the safety of the structure and the harm caused to neighbours and had no alternative but to refuse it."