SEAFRONT beach huts have been cleaned after they were targeted by “thoughtless” vandals over the weekend.

Brighton and Hove City council said that while it is not responsible for removing graffiti from private property, it has removed the blue spray paint on a “one-off basis.”

It comes after the huts near Hove Lawns and walls, fences and lampposts near King’s Esplanade were targeted by vandals on Saturday night.

The Argus: Graffiti has been cleaned from walls along Hove seafrontGraffiti has been cleaned from walls along Hove seafront

Speaking at the weekend Councillor Robert Nemeth, Conservative city councillor for Wish Ward and founder of Hove Beach Huts Association, criticised the council for taking a “soft” approach t vandalism.

But in a statement, the council said it was far from being “soft on vandalism” and that it has been taking “very positive action” in recent months.

A council spokesman said: “We have committed £100,000 towards graffiti removal in this year’s budget.

“We always remove offensive graffiti within 24 hours of being notified of it. However, we do not remove graffiti from private property unless it is offensive.

“We have a dedicated graffiti removal service for public property along the seafront.

“The beach huts are the responsibility of individual owners, but in this instance our team has cleared the graffiti off them on a one-off basis.

“The council does not have money to spare to remove graffiti from private property on a regular basis.

“Last year we consulted on whether the city wanted us to remove graffiti from private property at cost – but the results of that consultation made it clear that this was not supported.

“We will continue to do what we can to clean up the city, and work closely with Sussex Police on antisocial behaviour and vandalism – as catching the culprits is not the responsibility of the council.

“Police vans and officers were patrolling along the Lower Prom on Friday and over the weekend, and that continues today.”