A shopkeeper was furious to discover the front of his seafront store had been ripped off and used as firewood.

Planks of wood were pulled from shutters covering the main window on the Seafront Image shop at King's Road Arches, Brighton.

When Eamon Coyle arrived for work on bank holiday Monday, the wood was missing and the remains of a bonfire were found on the beach nearby.

Pieces of half-burned wood were visible in the remains of the fire and his shop was covered with graffiti.

Mr Coyle, 47, said: "Everything ripped off buildings around here is used to make fires. I've spent this morning nailing the rest of the wood down.

"It's the way things are going. Whoever did this will probably come back night after night."

Dave Downer, chairman of the Brighton and Hove Seafront Traders Association, said: "This type of incident must be nipped in the bud.

"The black spots from fires on the beach can still be seen from last year."

Mr Downer, who runs The Simple Marionette shop, is waiting for a meeting with police and Brighton and Hove City Council to raise concerns about vandalism at the arches.

There is no community beat officer in the area and shop owners want more patrols.

A council spokesman said the fires were a recurring problem.

He said: "With the warmer weather people sit on the beach and try to set light to anything they can find.

"We want to stop it. It is illegal to start fires on the beach and there are safety issues.

"We are speaking to police about catching and prosecuting those involved."

A police spokeswoman said: "We are aware of the incident. A community beat officer is being assigned to the area in the next couple of weeks. We will keep an eye on it."

Mr Coyle, who has run the shop with partner Michel Chauny, 39, for 18 months, said: "This is an annual problem and we are the annual victims."