COMMENT: We're still proud of Southsea - whatever others may say

We'd love to meet them, because the Southsea that appears to have left them distinctly underwhelmed is certainly not the Southsea we know and love.

We report today how the Which? consumer magazine asked its members to rate coastal destinations on their beaches, attractions, value for money, peace and quiet and scenery.

They were tasked with giving each category a rating out of five stars. More than 4,000 responded and that somehow resulted in Southsea ending up as joint 12th worst seaside town along with Hastings in East Sussex and Dawlish in Devon.

Our beach got just two stars, along with scenery, value for money and peace and quiet. The only bright spot was attractions, with four out of five stars.

To many, Portsmouth's tourism offering is built around its rich maritime heritage and the likes of HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose.

But people have also been coming here for the traditional seaside charm of Southsea since Victorian times.

We're rightly proud of our prom, our piers, our common, our floral displays, our funfair and other attractions, our B&Bs and hotels and everything that goes into making the seafront a great destination for all the family.

All right, so we haven't got a sandy beach. But is that a good enough reason to rate it so poorly?

Jill Norman, who runs Clarence Pier, says she simply doesn't understand the survey results – and we have to agree with her.

In 21st century Britain, there's very much still a place for what some folk might label as old-fashioned seaside entertainment.

We're proud of Southsea and long may it thrive - whatever those surveyed may think.