A pair of tourists found Brighton and Hove was not the place to be when they visited the city for the first time.

Their day trip turned into a nightmare when they spent three hours hunting for a space without luck.

It was not until they reached Worthing that they were able to park during the visit on Saturday.

Frankie Taggart, 25, a journalist from Buckinghamshire, and his friend Gill Harris, of Bedfordshire, were so relieved to get out of the car they decided to spend the rest of the day in Worthing instead.

Mr Taggart said: "I had never been before and I had heard a lot of good things about England's newest city. What a pile of rubbish.

"It turned out to be singularly the most frustrating experience of my life and I blame the council."

A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove City Council said there were spaces but car-park signs on the seafront may have indicated they were full.

She said: "Being tourists, they perhaps wouldn't be aware of the outlying car parks but we do advertise those in our tourists guides and shopping guides."