Brighton homeless under crumbling Madeira Terraces

Up to five homeless people have been seen there at any one time

More fencing is to be put up at Brighton's crumbling seafront arches to prevent homeless people accessing the unsafe site, a council has said.

It follows complaints that rough sleepers have set up camp under the Victorian structure.

Neil Sykes, who runs a gallery there, said it had become a no-go zone.

Brighton and Hove City Council leader Warren Morgan said the site would be secured and staff would help people find safer accommodation.

Up to five homeless people have been seen under the arches at any one time, according to BBC Sussex.

Mr Sykes said the area was a "disgrace" with unsafe structures, rough sleepers, human waste and rats.

Salvage structure bid

Councillor Clare Moonan, lead member for homelessness, said the council was aware of camps on the seafront and outreach services were involved.

She said no-one wanted to sleep rough, it was a hard existence fraught with danger, and the council was committed to reducing rough sleeping and supporting people in need.

In a separate development, the Victorian Society has obtained reports on the state of the terraces by submitting a Freedom of Information request to the council.

The society wants to send an engineer to the site to salvage as much of the collapsing structure as possible.

Spokesman Joe O'Donnell said the terraces had been neglected over decades and no one council was responsible but the society wanted to work with the authority now on saving them for the future.

Mr Morgan said the council's plans for restoring the terraces should be published by Christmas.