More than £2,000 has been raised to install a seafront camera so that a “vibrant community of water enthusiasts” can watch the waves wherever they are.

Eastbourne used to have a seafront camera which was put in and operated privately by a resident. But it came down a year ago and the community has keenly felt its absence.

Dee Harmer is an open water swimming coach who runs her own business Fish 2 Water.

Dee Harmer runs her own open water swimming instructing business and says she relied on the camera.Dee Harmer runs her own open water swimming business and says she relied on the previous camera (Image: Fish 2 Water Facebook) She said: “Everyone used to love looking at it: windsurfers, open water swimmers, kayakers, paddle boarders, surfers, sailors and even people with family in Eastbourne who don’t live in the city themselves.

“For me personally, as a business, I relied on it because it allowed me to check sea conditions before I left my home to come into Eastbourne for work.”

After contacting the borough council and not hearing back, Dee decided the only option was to raise the money and run the camera as a community.

She set up a Crowdfunder appealing for support for the “vibrant community of water enthusiasts” and quickly reached £1,600. Then an anonymous donor stepped in and topped it up to £2,200.

The camera will be housed by Chatsworth Hotel, which will provide it with electricity and internet access and Dee will host the footage live on her YouTube channel, which she will then stream to various other websites.