Police are monitoring a seafront shelter after a complaint from former boxer Chris Eubank that it is being used as a gay "cruising" spot.

Mr Eubank raised concerns with Brighton and Hove City Council chief executive Alan McCarthy that men were meeting at the shelter near the King Alfred Leisure Centre for casual sex, a police source said yesterday.

He was made aware of the issue by a friend who lives in the area and demanded the listed structure be demolished, the source added.

Police have now put up signs on the shelter warning it is being monitored by undercover officers and that lewd acts in a public place are against the law.

A police spokeswoman said: "The complaint is that gay men have been soliciting or meeting in the shelter and performing lewd acts.

"We have not received any direct reports of any specific incidents at the shelter but we have put signs up to remind people of the law and give advice for any potential witnesses to contact us if they do see anything untoward."

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman said: "The police are aware of these reports and we know they are taking it very seriously.

"The good news is that we have been speaking to the police about improving the area generally and had already set aside some money to improve lighting. This should help prevent antisocial behaviour.

"We feel most residents would want the behaviour stopped rather than the shelter demolished. It's a public amenity, a listed structure and part of the seafront's historic character.

"Demolition alone could simply move any problem to the next shelter and it would clearly be wrong to demolish them all."

One neighbour who lives across the road said: "I have not witnessed anything indecent but I have seen men around there, quite obviously on the prowl. It's clear they are cruising but whatever they get up to they seem to be doing it discreetly.

"The shelter does afford them an element of privacy, which is why they use it I suppose. It is a bit creepy and it should not be happening in a prominent public place like this."