Urgent action is needed to restore a run-down area which is attracting drag racers and gangs of youths, residents warned last night.

At a public meeting, they demanded action to clean up the Teville Gate area of Worthing as quickly as possible.

The site, at the northern end of the town, is dominated by boarded-up shops and graffiti.

Site owners Pharro Ltd were given planning permission two years ago to build a nine-screen cinema with bars, restaurants, a large shop and a car park in a development expected to create up to 180 jobs.

But lengthy negotiations with shopkeepers and difficulties in finding a cinema operator have led to increasing delays.

Meanwhile the site, which forms a gateway to Worthing, has become increasingly run-down.

It is often used as a through route to nearby streets for residents walking from the town centre. Police receive regular complaints that some groups of young people use the site's car park to practise drag racing at night.

The problem was exacerbated when young drivers were forced out of Splash Point on the seafront two years ago by new one-way road orders and barriers.

The meeting heard there were also regular complaints about noise, disruption and the amount of rubbish there.

Residents said the site was becoming a no-go area and it needed to be sorted out as soon as possible.

Michael James, of Westcourt Road, said: "I know a lot of people who just don't dare go into that area at night because they are intimidated by the gangs.

"Parts of it are also dark and unlit and a lot of people feel very uncomfortable.

"We have been promised a major renovation for years but nothing seems to be happening.

"Apart from the worry about safety issues it also gives a really bad image of the town to visitors."

Pharro and Worthing Council said progress was being made and they were working as quickly as they could to finish negotiations and start building work.