Drunkenness and vandalism are the main problems for visitors to Eastbourne's Seafront Gardens, a survey reveals today.

Residents and tourists who responded to a borough council questionnaire said they thought policing should be stepped up and fines imposed to deter antisocial behaviour.

Other complaints included the amount of disturbance caused by skateboarders, inline skaters and cyclists using the gardens.

Although the council accepts the complaints, it believes most of the problems happen along the parade and in the shelters.

Councillor Barbara Goodall, said: "On the seafront late at night we do get some problems but there's not much we can do about it.

"In an ideal world there would be extra policing day and night but that's not possible.

"When the gardens are damaged we have to put it right or else people complain, which is costly. But these problems happen in every town - we just have to be vigilant."

The council has recommended a system be introduced to log complaints about the gardens which should then be assessed every six months to identify problem areas.

The seafront gardens, which contain floral displays, rock gardens and tropical plants, stretch from Helen Gardens to Sovereign Park.

They have won a series of awards in the past ten years and play a major part in attracting tourists.