Residents whose homes overlook a seafront sports club in Hove say it still needs a tidy up despite a £68,000 investment.

The people who live near Hove Tennis Centre want to know why the venue was closed all last year after the work appeared to be finished, only reopening at Easter.

They are unhappy the club has been vandalised and used by young skateboarders after it was refurbished at taxpayers' expense.

Laurence Hill, 69, of Kingsway, said: "It's crazy. We had all this money allocated to the club and it took forever for them to get started.

"They laid out all the different boundaries very elaborately and then it stayed closed all year until this Easter.

"It has gone on for so long. I don't understand why it stayed closed.

"The only people who have been using it are kids who have climbed over the fence and used it for skateboarding. It's a shame.

"After all the money that has been spent on it, it should be utilised and there should be someone supervising it all the time."

Brighton and Hove City councillor Brian Oxley said: "The place needs finishing off.

"The council spent all this money on it because it wanted to intensify the use of the area with more sport. It resurfaced the courts and put lines down for other ball games such as netball and five-a-side.

"But there is litter around, disused signposts and vandalism, which is a shame because the council made a lovely job of the courts."

A council spokesman said: "We did the refurbishment out of season to be ready to open in time for the start of the tennis year.

"Work has been going on all year. The courts were resurfaced, new fencing was put up, rebound boards put in and the clubhouse was redecked.

"We have had problems with litter and vandalism but hopefully the refurbishment will have dealt with it.

"Unfortunately, it is the sort of thing that every council has to deal with."

In a bid to resolve the issue, Coun Oxley has called a meeting between residents and the council.

He said: "I have written to a number of residents' associations along the seafront advising them of the council's action so far and am now taking up the offer of a meeting on site to see what can be done to improve matters."

The date of the meeting has yet to be finalised.