YOUNGSTERS who posted footage of themselves on the internet exploring tunnels that lead to sewers under Telscombe Cliffs have hit back at critics.
Last month police said thrill-seekers were risking their lives when they climbed into the caves on the cliff face.
Southern Water promised to repair fences blocking the tunnels but one youngster said they could still get through.
Leo Westland,
16, of Hoddern Avenue, Peacehaven, said: 'That cave has had nothing done to change it. It's the summer holidays, people get bored and caves are exciting.
'I saw the cave was unchanged and I felt annoyed the so-called "so dangerous" cave that needed to be made safer as soon as possible, has had nothing done to it after all the fuss the media made.
'Southern Water said something about it flooding with water if it rained.
'Someone else who has never been down that cave. I can tell you that cave has never had water in it ever.
'The e-coli thing; it's a tunnel that leads to a shaft that then leads to a sewer, nothing more. My bath leads to a sewer but I'm not scared of my bath.
'I don't do stuff for the risk but I'm interested in my world. I wanted to know what is down there.
'If it was so dangerous I would turn back straight away. People should be able to make their own choice if something is safe enough.'
But a Southern Water spokesman said: 'The vent tunnels have no easy access to the public so anybody attempting to get in does it at a great personal safety risk.
'Our contractors carried out full repairs soon after the first incident and follow-up area inspections were undertaken to ensure any possible single point of access was covered.
'The site has regularly been inspected on various occasions and we are not aware of any other dangerous point of access.
'Our crew will be interested to ascertain the exact location of this latest incident and the date when the photos were taken to enable us to take any required further action.'
The full article contains 359 words and appears in Sussex Express Series newspaper.