It was the sunniest weekend of the summer so far and thousands of people descended on to the beaches of Brighton and Hove to enjoy themselves.

And most of them had a good time on what the resort advertising masterminds used to call seven miles of glorious seafront.

There are few if any livelier promenades in Britain than the one Brighton boasts below King’s Road while the Palace Pier remains among the nation’s top attractions by being most people’s idea of what a pier should be – colourful, crowded and cheerful.

The three main children’s playgrounds at Hove Lagoon, the West Pier and in Kemp Town are hugely popular and provide safe places for youngsters to play around with water.

And there’s no doubt that the increasingly alternative look of Brighton’s shops and cafés is proving to be a big attraction.

But looking around I saw scope for improvements, some large and many small, that would make the resort even better.

What has happened to all the deckchairs and sun loungers that used to be on every beach?

I didn’t see any along the beaches in West Hove yet they have been popular in past years.

I also didn’t spot any lifeguards down my way despite the enormous number of people paddling and swimming at low tide.

Parking restrictions elsewhere are making the West Hove beaches much busier than they were and some of the pressure on them could be relieved by pointing out Portslade’s beaches and ensuring they are more welcoming.

The Lagoon skate park has been a success but badly needs extending westwards to make it more adventurous and challenging.

Cafés in Hove are well used on fine days but it is curious that there is not one open to the public outside the King Alfred leisure centre near the main entrance.

The seafront cycle lane must be among the busiest anywhere but changes are needed to make it safer.

By Hove Lagoon it needs to be routed away from the busy pedestrian access.

At King’s Esplanade it should be taken off the road and put on the prom while in Madeira Drive parts of the route are downright dangerous.

While down this end of town, a fine weekend shows how desperately dingy the area has become thanks to the continued dereliction at Black Rock and the closure of Madeira Terraces.

At least building work in the Marina, and the construction of the i360 viewing tower by the West Osier, do show that Brighton is investing in its future as a leisure resort.

Traffic continues to be a big problem and getting out of the city is a slow process in the evenings.

So it is encouraging to see how well used the Brighton and Hove buses are, particularly those hugging the coast towards Eastbourne.

This makes the lack of buses along the main section of the seafront strange as the main service from Worthing, the 700 run by Stagecoach, dives inland at Grand Avenue in Hove.

This bus route is one of Stagecoach’s most lucrative, yet it is remarkably unreliable and its real time information boards are the best work of fiction in the city.

From fiction to fact and much more information is needed on the seafront, especially on the weather.

While there are some details on placards provided by lifeguards, the public noticeboards do not even give basic figures such as the sea temperature.

The prom in Hove needs better policing so that cars do not creep on to the seafront, especially in the evenings.

And it is time for a complete ban on dogs using all main beaches as too many have proved to be a thorough nuisance this summer.

If poo is less of than a problem than it was years ago, it still exists and many dogs pee where children are playing. Out of control animals often frighten youngsters.

With any luck there will be a few more sunny Saturdays and Sundays before September and the crowds will come out on weekdays during the school holidays.

Perhaps the powers that be should stroll along the seven miles of glorious seafront and see for themselves how a brilliant resort could be made even better.