COUNCIL chiefs running a seaside resort are being accused of losing opportunities with the summer tourist season soon drawing to a close.

Ian Swales, Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Redcar, says instead of enjoying the town's seafront boating lake, visitors have been faced with fencing around the dry, bare basin of a drained pool.

He accused the district council's Labour leaders of inaction.

He said: "This time last year, Redcar was heaving with visitors enjoying the town's transformation into Dunkirk for the filming of Atonement on the sea front. This year, the view that welcomes people is the fencing around the boating lake."

Improvement work started on the site in April, but has been on hold ever since.

Councillor Swales added: "What a dismal experience greets visitors staying at the caravan site, or walking from Coatham car park. Can you imagine this happening at Torquay or similar resorts?"

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council leaders say the hold-up to the improvements is because of protests against its £88m plans for a mixed 359-home and leisure development on the Coatham Links sea front.

Council Leader Councillor George Dunning said: "His (Swales) party colleagues who are Liberal Democrat councillors are only too well aware that we planned to invest £600,000 in improving the area with new seating, planting and lighting in time for the height of the tourist season.

"Fencing was erected around the boating lake so that it was safe to drain and clean the lake in advance of improvement works. The lake has been drained and cleaned.

"The improvements works have had to be postponed until the spring. This is as a result of potential and unnecessary complications that could have resulted from the threatened judicial review proceedings submitted by the Friends of Coatham Common about the Coatham Links planning application."

Coun Dunning said: "Fencing will remain around the boating lake itself until further repairs are undertaken to the bridge over the lake and to make the area safe once again for the public to use."

But Mr Swales said: "This work was supposed to go ahead regardless of any legal action being taken by protestors against the Coatham Links Scheme and it is time this was sorted out as a matter of urgency.''