The brochure has been condemned as 'loutish'

A glossy new brochure to promote the Lincolnshire coast has been strongly criticised by business leaders.

A man wearing a hat with a Union Flag and relaxing in a deckchair is pictured on the front of the new Skegness and Mablethorpe holiday guide.

One East Lindsey councillor said it looked like a cheap version of Exchange and Mart.

But the design has been defended by the council as being "positive".

The Skegness and Mablethorpe brochure has been produced by East Lindsey District Council to encourage more people to holiday on the Lincolnshire coast next year.

But the choice of picture for the front cover has already sparked criticism from some members of the Skegness' Chamber of Commerce.

One local town and district councillor Brian O'Connor said the man in the deckchair looked like a lager lout.

Flag-waving

He said it is was creating the right image for Skegness and Mablethorpe or Lincolnshire as a whole.

But the district council said it chose the picture after careful consideration because it wanted to celebrate what was essentially a great British product.

Alison Mcdonald from East Lindsey District Council said: "We took the picture last year and considered it for the cover, but thought it was too patriotic.

"But after this year of the World Cup and the Jubilee there was lots of flag-waving and decided the image was a positive thing."