WE want our viewing area back!That was the call today from visitors at Felixstowe's port viewing area which has been cordoned off since May due to the fear of subsidence.

WE want our viewing area back!

That was the call today from visitors at Felixstowe's port viewing area which has been cordoned off since May due to the fear of subsidence.

They are frustrated with the 7ft fence which has excluded them from the viewing platform and taken up a third of the parking spaces.

And further annoyance has been caused by the apparent delays in repairs by the district council and port as they are trying to figure out who is responsible for the area.

"It's stupid, why can't people walk along, there's no problem there," said Roger Beam, from Ixworth.

"We don't have a clear view of the port, it's a very popular place. A lot of people get pleasure from it."

The John Bradfield viewing area near Landguard Fort was fenced off after a section of the promenade collapsed giving the council cause to believe the whole area could be unstable.

Samantha Dorling, owner of the Crow's Nest snack bar, has seen her business plummet this summer as fewer visitors have been able to flock to the normally popular area.

Although she has been getting financial help from the council she said she was still struggling.

"Nothing's changed, it is still fenced but I think that the survey has been done now so the wall will get on and be done," said Samantha, who thanked all her customers for their support.

"Its been hard work because we have lost a lot of spaces we have lost a third. I'm hoping the fence will be down by Christmas."

Doreen Savage, chairman of the resort's regeneration group at Suffolk Coastal, who had been enjoying a drink at the snack bar, said: "I'm just so sorry, it is taking so long to sort out. The ownerships down here are so complex that it isn't down to the district council but various parties involved.

"The reason I came down was to see how Sam was getting on because the council is conscious and wants to off-set the losses she is having."

Ruth Beam, from Ixworth, who visits regularly, said: "There is no point in having this barrier here. There could be another dozen and a half there," she said referring to the twenty parking spaces which have been removed.

Jack Bryant, from Ipswich, said: "It's disgusting, we come down here two or three times a week but sometimes we have to drive around because there is nowhere to park."

He said the area had been cordoned off for too long and that he could not understand why the public were not allowed in to the fenced area now when they were before the school summer holidays started.