A couple's embarrassment when trying to show their French pen pals around Southampton has provoked an attack on their home city

A COMPLETE embarrassment. That's the damning verdict of a Southampton couple on a morning spent showing their French pen pals the sights of Southampton.

Christine Hammett-Smith and partner Trevor Davies struck up a friendship with Juliane and Antoinette Renaudin from Normandy a year ago.

When the retired couple from Woolston spent a weekend at the Renaudins' home in the French town of Alencon, they had a great time and wanted to return the favour.

But when the couple decided to show their French friends the sights of Hampshire - it was their home city that proved the biggest disappointment.

Having intended to spend one Tuesday in early August looking at both Southampton's modern and historical sites, the couple was forced to cut the visit short after just a few hours.

In Southampton's historic Old Town they found Tudor House closed for restoration, a closed Bargate building and the Old Walls not only closed but littered with a shopping trolley and weeds.

The couple did not revisit Southampton during the Renaudins' four-day stay in early August. Instead they spent days in Winchester and on the Isle of Wight.

Now Mrs Hammett-Smith, 64, is pleading to City Council tourism chiefs to clean up their act and the city centre.

She said: "On the first day of the visit we took our guests into Southampton. They wanted to have a look around the city because they had heard of its shipping tradition and knew about the cruise liners.

"They had previously been to Manchester and didn't like it. We thought we would show them a part of England that was perhaps more beautiful than Manchester.

"We showed them WestQuay but they are not very into shopping so we thought we would look at the old town, which is where the embarrassment started.

"Some of the Old Town just seemed to be completely neglected. The only buildings we could go into were the Maritime Museum in the Wool House and St Michael's Church.

"We were going to go to the God's House Tower museum but the door was shut and I thought it was closed.

"The city doesn't seem to be geared up for tourism. I know it suffered from bombing in the war but I am sure something could be done. I felt embarrassed and angry.

"The next day we visited Winchester - what a difference. Everything was open, available and well looked after.

"Our French friends didn't comment on Southampton at all. They were very positive about Winchester and the Isle of Wight. I can only assume they didn't have anything good to say about Southampton."

Council tourism and heritage chiefs were keen to defend the city's appeal.

Southampton City Council's tourism boss David Wood listed the Maritime Museum, Solent Sky aviation hall, the city art gallery and pleasure cruises among the city's attractions.

"There's a lot of improvement work going on at the moment," he said.

"For example at Ocean Village where new housing is being developed, the Marina is being developed and a four-star hotel is being built.

"At West Quay the arena is looking to be developed in the next couple of years. It will hold ten thousand people and host concerts, ice skating and sports facilities.

"I would say that people do not come to the area only to see Southampton. We are handy as a regional centre and we don't have tunnel vision. It is an ideal centre in which to base yourself and see places like the New Forest and Isle of Wight. We've got the Solent to one side, Portsmouth nearby and Winchester to the north."

City council heritage services manager, Kevin White, said more than £2m is being pumped into projects to restore some of the Old Town's historical sites.

He said that God's House Tower museum had been open every day except Mondays during August.

Mr White is currently monitoring the £2.3m restoration programme at Tudor House, which is due for completion in 2006.

He said the Bargate had been restored in 2003 at a cost of £30,000 and recently been leased to aviation group Solent Sky.

Alan Jones at Solent Sky said his organisation had not been able to keep the Bargate open every day and more recently had been forced to move out completely, because there had not been enough interest.

He said: "We are terminating the lease and the reasons are that there was really poor public interest. In the height of the holiday season some days we had five or six people come in. The problem is that Southampton just isn't a tourist destination. We can't keep going on like that because we have to pay staff to run it.

"There is so much that could be seen in Southampton but there's so much that isn't made available. We have got to change our attitude, we have got to believe in our city pride and believe what our city is all about.

"The closure of the Bargate is symptomatic of the fact that there is not enough going on."

Kevin White's department recently applied for money in excess of £50,000 for vital repairs to walkways along the city walls, including the replacement of guard rails at the Castle Way Bridge.

The completion of these repairs would see the stretch reopened.

Mr White added: "I don't think we are neglecting the area. I think we have got a number of problems with the area, the bridge for example but hopefully we will get the money to sort it out."

It's not the first time Southampton's ability to lure tourists has been questioned.

In 2000 authors of the Rough Guide to England wrote of Southampton: "Unfortunately, since its pummelling by the Luftwaffe and some disastrous post-war planning, the 1,000-year-old city has changed beyond recognition.

"Now a sprawling conurbation easily bypassed by motorways, it'll be pretty low on your list of places to visit."

In contrast nearby Winchester is regularly billed as one of the country's day trip gems.

Tourism chief Eloise Appleby said it wasn't right to compare the two cities.

She added: "I think different places have varying special interests. A lot of people know Southampton as a shopping destination, WestQuay is a big draw. It also has a strong shipping and maritime history that we don't.

"We are all players in a very similar marketplace and everyone has to think about the sort of visitors they are attracting and will satisfy best."