Devonshire Park, the home of the Lexus Eastbourne Open tennis tournament, has been hit by an “an outrageous act of vandalism,” the town hall chief has said.

Council teams arrived early on Friday to continue preparations for the grass court championships which are to begin on June 20, only to find extensive damage across several tennis courts.

Stephen Holt, leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, said: “This is an outrageous act of mindless vandalism that shows total disregard for our town, our residents, and the global sporting event we are proud to host each year.“

Devonshire Park is one of Eastbourne’s greatest assets, and the council’s dedicated team have been working tirelessly to prepare the courts for the international tournament.

The vandalism has been branded ‘disgraceful’ Credit: Lewes District Council and Eastbourne Borough Council/PA Wire

For anyone to deliberately sabotage that work is utterly disgraceful.

”The outdoor tournament, considered as a warm-up for the Wimbledon Championships which start a week later, includes US player Madison Keys, the 2025 Australian Open winner, plus home-favourite Sonay Kartal are on the entry list.

Keys – who won the title in 2014 and 2023 – is returning to the south coast in a bid to complete a hat-trick of titles at Eastbourne.

Security measures are being bolstered by the council in response to the damage.

The court in pristine condition Credit: PA

Mr Holt said town hall chiefs are working closely with Sussex Police and CCTV footage from the site and surrounding area is being scoured.

He described the damage as a “setback” but said efforts are being made to ensure the venue is ready in time to stage the tournament.

Mr Holt added: “We will do everything possible to support the police in identifying those responsible – it is criminal damage that could have disrupted a major sporting event.

“However, despite this setback our brilliant team at Devonshire Park are working to ensure the courts are handed over to the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association), ready for the world class tennis that we’re all looking forward to.”

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