Eastbourne officials are accusing the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) of airbrushing out the town’s pebble beach and replacing it with non-existent gold sand in advertisements.
Posters for the Eastbourne grass-court tournament, which begins on June 12, show the town's pier surrounded by sand that isn’t there. The tournament is major tourist draw for the seaside town.
"Our tides are very strong and would wash sand right away. The shingle is an iconic part of Eastbourne, and we have no reason to be ashamed of it," Eastbourne politician David Elkin told The Argus. "We should make do with what we've got, instead of airbrushing the stones away."
The LTA responded: "The imagery used in this marketing campaign is intended to be fun, and not an exact representation of the beach at Eastbourne. We used the iconic imagery of Eastbourne pier to attract a wider audience to the AEGON International. We wanted to create a buzz around the event and it would appear we have done so."