• See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source

A fight to reopen a French-owned beach in Sussex has descended into a gun battle after an angry resident shot a surveillance camera with an air rifle, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

Locals have been locked out of the 'lovely and sandy' West Beach in Newhaven since 2008 when the owner, a French company, erected high fencing and razor wire.

It has since been the scene of repeated vandalism and break ins – with residents saying they should be within their rights to enjoy it.

On June 24, up to 100 people sweltering during the heatwave cut through a padlock on the metal gates using an angle grinder and invaded the beach.

A court heard that during the incident Michael Tuson, 44, took aim at a security camera with an air rifle.

Judge Stephen Mooney described the shooting, which caused £5,000 worth of damage, as an act of gross stupidity.

Tuson pleaded guilty to shooting the camera and to having an imitation firearm in a public place.

People are seen sunbathing and swimming on West Beach in Sussex in June after a hole in the fence was opened with an angle grinder (file photo)

A woman looks at the hole in the fence that was opened by protesters in June (file photo)

A group of teenage boys were spotted trespassing on Newhaven West Beach in June, which has been closed to the public for almost 18 years

Judge Mooney said the incident had achieved local notoriety.

Defending him, Chris Judson said the potshot was a spontaneous, absent-minded act.

'No, it's not,' Judge Mooney responded. 'There was a lot of publicity about this.'

'He's driven there, taken aim - and he's a good shot by the looks of it - he's tried to disable the camera but didn't.

'I'm not saying he was a criminal mastermind, but it wasn't spontaneous.'

West Beach is run by Newhaven Port & Properties, which is owned by public bodies in Seine-Maritime in northern France.

The beach was closed for safety reasons in 2008 and following the protest last month, tougher security measures have been installed.

Police were able to identify Tuson after his van was seen in video footage on the camera.

Tuson from Bromley, south-east London, was arrested after the vehicle was spotted in Eastbourne.

Since the beach was closed off in 2008, there have been numerous protests over the years

The beach's Newhaven Port and Properties closed the area after it was deemed unsafe for visitors in 2008

Sussex Police said he was detained on suspicion of criminal damage.

Prosecutor Puneet Grewal said Tuson shot at the camera through a window in the van.

'Footage shows he got out of his van, he looks at the camera then goes back to the van.

'The camera glitches and goes black.'

Tuson was handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months and given time to pay a £500 fine.

Sussex Police said they were working with the port authority and the local council to reduce the risk of further incidents on the beach.

Local MP, Lib Dem James MacCleary, has been trying to get the area reopened to locals.

He previously emphasised that he does not wish the closure of West Beach to become an 'anti-French issue'.

He said: 'My West Beach Bill is about fairness. It is about standing up for a community that has been shut out of its own seafront for far too long.

'Of course safety and harbour operations matter. But they cannot be used forever as a blanket excuse to keep people away from a much-loved public amenity.'

The decision to close West Beach to the public has been enabled by a quirk of British law.

The beach itself was created in the late 19th century during the construction of Newhaven's western pier and is technically artificial.

It is therefore deemed part of the port owned by the French company.

As a result, the beach does not fall under the Crown Estate, National Trust or Ministry of Defence, as most of Britain's coastline does.