Coach station bosses say they will be forced to scale down their business unless the council cleans up its act.

The bosses at Pool Valley in Brighton say Brighton and Hove City Council has no interest in promoting the area.

The coach station buildings were renovated by the company and have won awards.

But the remaining area is the responsibility of the council.

Director Howard Trevette said: "Pool Valley for thousands of people should be the gateway to the city.

"Instead it is an ugly carbuncle on the backside of Brighton and Hove. We now have no alternative but to scale down the operation."

He said both the men's and women's toilets at the coach station were closed following excessive vandalism.

The lights had not worked properly for more than a year and there were problems with the position of a taxi rank.

Mr Trevette said panes of glass were broken in shelters and proper cleaning of the coach station with water and steam had not taken place for more than a year.

He said this was going to be a boom year for coach travel in the UK following difficulties on the railways and fear of flying caused by the atrocities of September 11.

But he said Pool Valley would not be able to take advantage of that in its current condition.

Mr Trevette said the council was making large sums of money from car parking charges which should be ploughed back into transport facilities.

He said it was obvious some of that money should go to Pool Valley but none had been committed.

A council spokesman said: "We'll go and take another look at the lighting.

"But we feel the area is satisfactory and as it stands there are no plans for any major works down there."