A COUNCIL has leapt to the defence of its town after it was snubbed by holidaymakers looking for a weekend away in the UK.

Hastings was deemed the worst location in the small town or city category of a Which? survey seeking to find the best locations in the UK for a city break.

Brighton and Hove meanwhile, was the eleventh best in the large UK city category out of 21 locations.

The city was pipped to the post by the likes of York- which came first- Edinburgh and Liverpool.

3,662 Which? members completed the online survey in April this year about 56 UK towns and cities they had visited for leisure purposes in the past year and stayed in for at least one night.

Categories included food and drink, hotel prices, cultural sites, accommodation, shopping, ease of getting around, lack of crowds and value for money.

Hastings was given a mere two out of five stars for food and drink options, ease of getting around and value for money and achieved a low 57 per cent destination score.

Kevin Boorman, 1066 Country marketing and major projects manager at Hastings Borough Council, said he was “shocked” by the results and that Hastings had “fantastic” events on offer.

He also promised a raft of new projects in the town, which is best known for the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

“We were really surprised to see these results, as we’ve been popular with visitors since 1066,” he said.

“Indeed, the town has been packed recently, almost too busy, which may account for some of our low marks.

“The town has a fantastic programme of events, with visitors coming from all over the UK and beyond to enjoy our annual Jack in the Green, bonfire and fantastic fish festivals.

“But we’re not complacent, and work has already started on creating a new hotel in the town centre, and we are looking to significantly improve Hastings Castle, and the town centre, as part of our ‘Town Deal’ initiative.

“A major new attraction is about to open in our former Debenhams building too.”

Charlie Crabb, who owns the Hastings Bookshop, also expressed his shock at the result and said Hastings has "always been an ideal tourist destination".

"I'm very surprised and confused by this result," he said. 

"The bookshop is continually inundated with people visiting Hastings every weekend and they are always incredibly positive about their time in the town.

"Hastings has always been an ideal tourist destination for holiday-makers (both from the UK and abroad), however the increasing number of high-quality restaurants, bars, cinemas and independent shops make it more appealing than ever; not to mention the numerous annual events that the town holds such as Jack in the Green, Hastings Carnival, Fat Tuesday and many more."

The winner of the small city category was Wells in Somerset.

While the medium sized city category saw Cambridge crowned.