Campaigners battling to secure the future of Littlehampton's troubled Windmill theatre complex are claiming victory.

Arun District Council chiefs have agreed to pay for new, tiered seating at the Windmill.

Jackie Mallinson, chairman of the Windmill Action Group, said it was a commitment to the theatre's future.

She said: "We were ready to up the campaign if they said no but we don't need to do that now. This is just the beginning. There is still a long way to go."

The breakthrough came yesterday afternoon when members of Arun's ruling Cabinet unanimously agreed to spend up to £50,000 on new seats.

Council leader Norman Dingemans said: "We have said all along that the council is determined to keep the theatre and cinema.

"We will also be looking for a contribution from Littlehampton Town Council."

Cabinet member for leisure Oliver Wingrove said: "We really must do this. The present seating has for some time been something approaching a joke."

The new tiered seating will replace retractable seats which were condemned as unsafe by fire chiefs a year ago.

The decision follows months of uncertainty about the venue's future.

Campaigners set up the Windmill Action Group after the council announced last year that it was reviewing the future of the seafront centre, which was losing money.

Councillors went into closed session at the end of yesterday's meeting to discuss appointing consultants to look into setting up a leisure trust to run the theatre.