The paint job on the £850,000 restoration of Brighton’s seafront bandstand was so badly botched even the architects of the scheme have branded it “slapdash”.

The disappointment of both designers and Brighton and Hove City Council, which paid for the work, has been revealed in a series of emails released under the Freedom of Information Act.

The restoration of the long-derelict bandstand, a 2007 election pledge of the council’s Conservative leadership, has been overshadowed by regular complaints from the public about rust patches and poor finishing touches.

The emails now released by the council show the council and architects ABIR, which ran the project, voiced their concerns with Cheesmur, the contractors that carried out the work.

In one sent in October, Giles Ings, one of ABIR’s directors, commented on the number of areas of rust and added: “What is generally disappointing is the junction between the two colours.

There are areas that appear somewhat slapdash, lines are not straight, cream paint on green and vice versa.”

His email was followed by one sent in December by Toni Manuel, the council’s seafront development manager, who put forward a list of 16 ongoing problems with the work.

They included issues with the restaurant created in the base of the bandstand, where glass panels in a door had cracked because it could not be closed properly and had slammed in the wind, plus complaints about paintwork and rust.

Mr Ings said that despite his criticisms it was important to remember the bandstand project was still not technically complete, as the contract runs until July 23. He raised concerns to ensure the work was put right by then.

Mr Ings had been told the reason for the problems with the paint was it had been painted rather than sprayed on, meaning it did not spread at an even thickness. Last month, sub-contractors for Cheesmur returned to carry out touching up work. The firmsaid it was committed to getting the bandstand right.

A council spokeswoman said: “Any major building project will throw up some ‘snagging’ items after completion and the council has been working with the contractor to rectify any issues, such as rust spots. This is all part of the contract and is being done at no extra cost. The council is committed to maintaining the bandstand to the highest possible standard and will continue to monitor it closely.”