A huge watermelon, a beach chair and aluminium picnic plates were among the rubbish left at a popular seaside spot after a sunny weekend.

The summer fruit had been wedged inside a bin overlooking the beach at Folkestone, while dog walkers were having to pick up their pooches and carry them over the detritus, according to one disgruntled litter picker.

Stephen West, 64, was horrified by the amount of rubbish along the Upper and Lower Leas, after the scorching weather last weekend, with temperatures reaching the high 20s.

He is calling for bigger bins in the area, as pictures taken on Sunday evening and Monday morning show them overflowing, with numerous rubbish piles nearby.

The Folkestone resident, who litter picks while walking his dog, Jack, says he is collecting up beer bottles and cans on a daily basis.

He said: “I saw a number of people down at the beach on Sunday so I thought I would go and see how bad it was. I took a few bin bags with me.

“By the time I had gone down the zig-zag path to the Lower Leas from Pleydell Gardens, I had filled a bag up with tin cans, food rubbish and plastic bottles. I have never seen this path so bad.

“I was shocked and I dread to think what has gone into the sea.”

Mr West added dog walkers were having to carry their pets over the litter.

“I did not even know where to begin with collecting it. It was really quite outrageous, all the bins were full,” he said.

“Bigger bins are needed all the way along the stretch. Not just silly little bins every 500 yards.”

There are more than 800 bins across Folkestone and Hythe, says Cllr Jeremy Speakman (Green), cabinet member for assets and operations at the district council, who added that larger bins are placed at popular spots.

He said that waste contractor Veolia had problems accessing areas of the town promenade last weekend due to how busy it was.

Mr West saw council workers collecting the rubbish on Monday morning, and offered to help.

“It was just extraordinary,” he said.

“They said it has been like this for years. It is just tragic.

“I offered to help them collect the litter but they declined. It is ridiculous they should have to do that every weekend because of insufficient bin capacity.

“You cannot expect people to take it all home, especially if they are walking up a hill – nobody does that.”

Cllr Speakman says the council will review bin capacity over the summer, and asked visitors to take their rubbish home with them, if the bins are full.

He said: “Our coastline continues to be popular with visitors and the good weather last weekend, after a generally poor start to the summer, attracted large numbers.

“There are already more than 800 litter bins permanently installed across the district and – in advance of the summer season – we have also placed larger bulk bins at popular locations along the coast to provide extra bin capacity.

“Our waste contractor Veolia reported some difficulties last weekend for its collection vehicles accessing some parts of the promenade during the day and evening due to large numbers of people enjoying the sunshine and restricted access.

He added: “We will proactively work with Veolia throughout the summer to review bin capacity and servicing.

“We do ask visitors if a bin is full to take their litter home; leaving waste next to bins just gives seagulls the chance to cause a right old mess.”