Brighton beach has been defended after it was slammed for being “dirty” and “grubby” by day trippers who branded it “the worst beach in the world”.

Visitors took to Tripadvisor to air their displeasure at the pebble beach and likened the city’s streets to “Chernobyl”.

One unimpressed reviewer on the site even vented about “ugly people” on the beach and moaned about the temperature of the sea.

The comments were shared in an article by the Daily Express which described the beach as “the worst in the world”.

One reviewer Chakal01 said on Tripadvisor: “It's windy, the sea is freezing and dirty, people are ugly and they litter, and worst of all, it's a pebble beach.

“Nothing worse in this world.”

Lenny posted: “Grubby city, shabby people, shop fronts look like Chernobyl … unfortunately, poor leadership from local government and above have destroyed Brighton for everyone including the vagrants.”

John B said: “First time visiting Brighton and we were very disappointed, the beach was full of litter, although we did see a team of litter pickers later on, it's still not good to see.

“There was also graffiti everywhere, I wouldn't recommend this place whatsoever.”

The Argus: Sunseekers flocked to the beach for the last May bank holidaySunseekers flocked to the beach for the last May bank holiday (Image: The Argus/Andrew Gardner)

Leader of Brighton and Hove City Council Bella Sankey hit out at the article and said Brightonians are "beautiful".

“I actually find the Express article bizarre. Simply saying I don’t agree with it doesn’t even enter into it," she said.

“A very recent article on Yahoo article names Brighton as being the most popular beach in the country.

“It is set to be the most visited beach this summer as it has the highest number of views on TikTok – more than 79 million.

“Our visitors can enjoy a wide variety of top-quality food and drink. They can explore the art galleries and shops, take advantage of our fantastic attractions or simply unwind with a stroll along the prom.

“It’s clear the millions of people who provide reviews across the internet don’t agree with this negative view either.

“Even on Tripadvisor itself there are more than 2,000 excellent ratings for our beach.

“Our personal favourite says ‘all along the beach front there are shops and places to eat, the culture is wonderful, warm and friendly. There is every type of person here, no bias. It's exactly how everywhere should be’.

“We have an enviable reputation all over the world as a fantastic place to visit throughout the year.

“And I think it’s because we offer such a wide variety of cultural experiences to visitors – we’re so much more than a bucket and sand resort.

“We look forward to welcoming millions more visitors this summer and beyond.

“And I completely disagree with their comments about what we look like. We think Brighton people are beautiful.”

Palace Pier boss Anne Ackord said the comments were “extreme”.

“Brighton beach attracts millions of visitors, many of who return year after year,” she said.

“I would suggest they are the comments of a very small minority.

“Brighton and Hove tourism businesses work hard all year round to provide a first class welcome  to tourists and the beach and seafront are a central part of the attraction of the city.

“Were it to be as described in the Express article we would have seen a huge decline in visitors, year on year visitor numbers to the pier have increased.”

Councillor Alan Robins, who is chairman of Brighton and Hove City Council’s culture, heritage, sport, tourism and economic development committee, said the newly elected Labour council has plans to spruce up areas of the seafront.

He said Brighton beach is not the worst.

“We do accept that some parts of the seafront are in desperate need of some tender loving care and we’ll certainly do our best to improve things,” he said.

“And we hope that people who made these comments will have a better experience next time they visit Brighton.

“Labour made lots of different pledges in our manifesto and we have made a commitment to put the lifeguards back where they were on the seafront.

“We intend to tidy things up and make things better. It’s nowhere near the worst beach.”