Two people barred from a Brighton community group's meetings are lobbying fellow estate residents for support.

Hamish Mackenzie and Mandy Chapman said that, along with two other residents, they had been banned from attending meetings of the North Moulsecoomb Placemaking Group.

They have now delivered leaflets to homes on the Moulsecoomb estate calling for a public meeting on the ban.

Placemaking groups were created throughout East Brighton as part of the Government's New Deal for Communities scheme.

The aim was to give local people a voice in deciding what schemes should be created using £47.2 million of Government funds.

But Mr Mackenzie, of Newick Road, and Mrs Chapman, of Barcombe Road, said they and the two other people became disenchanted with their group and resigned from various sub-committees in December.

Four months later, the pair decided to attend a meeting of the group at St George's Hall in Moulsecoomb.

When they arrived on Tuesday night, a representative from the New Deal scheme told them their presence was not wanted.

On Wednesday, Mr Mackenzie and Mrs Chapman received hand-delivered letters from group chairman Ron King and secretary Maggie Bonner telling them there were concerns about the way they had worked within the team.

The letters said: "For the time being, I must ask you not to attend meetings until these concerns have been dealt with."

Mr Mackenzie, who has lived in North Moulsecoomb for almost 25 years and set up one of the estate's first resident associations, said: "The constitution says the meetings are open to anyone over 18 who lives in north Moulsecoomb."

Mrs Chapman, who has lived on the estate for more than 34 years, believes they have been barred because they have questioned New Deal projects.

She said: "We want the people of north Moulsecoomb to have a say about what happens here. Most people on the estate don't even know what New Deal is."

The two delivered leaflets to more than 400 homes in North Moulsecoomb on Thursday night, calling for a public meeting.

Graham Maunders, project director for New Deal in Brighton, said he had arranged meetings for next week to discuss the pair's concerns but they turned them down.