During the very hot weather recently, I caught a bus to Eastbourne in order to take a walk along its elegant promenade.

What a shock I had when I arrived and found the lovely bandstand surrounded by seven or eight feet of blue awning.

It looks absolutely hideous and is completely out of character with the architecture along Grand Parade.

Whoever came up with the idea needs their brains testing for they have ruined what was a beautiful seafront.

While Eastbourne Borough Council appears to be oblivious to the fact the bandstand is part of the beauty of Eastbourne, to cover it up so nobody walking past can see inside is a stupid idea.

People often stop and listen to the music while walking along the front and many decide to go inside and pay for a seat to see which band is playing. I have done this on many occasions, but no more.

I do not want to sit in a cage. The council shouldn't think it will bring more people in and so increase its funds for I took the trouble to peep around one of the awnings and saw fewer than a dozen people inside. Come on Eastbourne, for goodness sake take the horrible stuff down and let everyone enjoy their walks and see the beauty of the bandstand.

We don't have a usable bandstand in Brighton and this is one of the reasons I like to visit Eastbourne.

-Sheila Kent, Brighton