Brighton and Hove has given 10,000 reasons why nothing should stand in the way of the West Pier's restoration.

A petition started by business partners Eamon Coyle and Michel Chauny, which was casually left on display in their seafront shop, amassed signatures from thousands of people.

It calls for the owners of Brighton's Palace Pier to stop blocking efforts by the Brighton West Pier Trust and developers St Modwen to renovate the derelict landmark.

Mr Coyle and Mr Chauny put the petition in their shop, Seafront Image on the Lower Promenade, Brighton, during the summer.

In just four months, more than 10,000 people have signed the appeal.

The shop owners have now jointly presented the petition to the Palace Pier's owners, the Noble Organisation. Mr Coyle said: "Most of the people who signed were local but there were people from 40 different countries represented.

"We hope the Palace Pier takes notice and some people have told us they are boycotting the pier of their own volition."

The petition says: "Please stop obstructing the planned restoration of Brighton's West Pier.

"We strongly support the West Pier Trust and the other agencies involved in this project.

"We are dismayed at your determined efforts in ensuring the loss of this national treasure for purely commercial motives."

Mr Coyle said: "We didn't solicit signatures. The petition was there and they signed it.

"We feel a restored West Pier would be good for Brighton and we were surprised how many people didn't know about what the Palace Pier was doing.

"It makes me angry that an organisation should dictate to the city how many piers it should have."

Noble says the West Pier scheme, backed partly by National Lottery cash, is unfair competition.

The organisation is asking for planning permission to be reviewed, for lottery cash to be withdrawn and for a harbour revision order, essential for the pier's renovation, not to be granted.

The Noble Organisation would not comment on the petition last night but director David Biesterfield has previously told The Argus the West Pier was being given an unfair advantage.

Noble feels Brighton and Hove City Council has bent over backwards to help the West Pier, while obstructing its own applications for new rides.

The Brighton West Pier Trust has welcomed the production of the petition.

It intends to start work on restoration early next year.

Dr Geoffrey Lockwood, chief executive of the West Pier Trust, said: "We hope the scale of the petition demonstrates the Noble Organisation's opposition is against the wishes of the people of Brighton and Hove."