Furious residents say council bosses are “neglecting” their village – leaving weeds to grow 3ft high.

Those living in St Mary’s Bay on Romney Marsh claim Kent County Council (KCC) has failed to clear undergrowth for many months.

Villagers say they have been forced to tidy up the weeds themselves, despite paying council tax.

They have now labelled KCC’s efforts as “shoddy” and want the mess cleaned up as soon as possible.

Julie Kelly has lived in New Bridge Way for more than 20 years and describes the conditions in the village as “disgraceful”.

“KCC hasn’t used any weed killer on our streets for months now,” she said.

“Some of the weeds are just as tall as me. It just makes everything look so messy.

“I’m registered disabled and find myself pulling the weeds out in the alleyway next to me. It’s not something I should have to be doing.

“A lot of elderly people live round here and they shouldn’t be feeling the need to pull out huge weeds so they can walk through the alley.”

Cllr Tony Cooper said the village is “receiving third-rate service” from KCC at the Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) full council meeting last week.

Ms Kelly agreed with the Labour representative and says she wants her “nice village to look tidy again”.

Cllr Cooper took up residents’ complaints, and was initially told KCC had reported it had carried out the work on May 23.

But the New Bridge Way resident says this is “not accurate” after finding some of the weeds blocking public footpaths.

He added: “Residents are sick and tired of paying council tax for, at best, a third-rate service, if shoddy could even be described as that.

“Our roads are crumbling, grass and weeds are growing through the cracks and potholes are not being filled in.

“The residents are not happy.”

Margaret Wickham has lived in the village for more than 27 years and feels KCC has “forgotten” the area.

The Grassmere resident said: “All of the other areas in the district seem to be looked after. We just get left out!

“St Mary’s Bay has been neglected for a number of years and this is just another thing that is making us look worse.

“It’s disgusting that our streets are left like this and KCC needs to come and sort it out.”

In response to Cllr Tony Cooper’s concerns at the FHDC meeting, Cllr Jeremy Speakman (Green) said he was aware the weed spraying had not been completed in St Mary’s Bay.

“I am happy to raise any street cleansing concerns with the waste team,” he said.

“I am aware that the weed spray, which is the responsibility of KCC Highways, was not fully completed in St Mary’s Bay.

“I believe that officers have worked with you to get this completed so that the weeds can be effectively removed.”

A KCC spokeswoman said its contractors are aware of the issue.

“We have seen a lot of weed growth this year due to the warm wet weather, which is particularly apparent near coastal areas,” she said.

"We have inspected the St Mary’s Bay area and are aware of locations where there has been significant re-growth of weeds or where the initial treatment has not been as effective as in previous years.

“Our teams will be revisiting these areas and carrying out works to clear weeds that are causing concern and inspect the area of safety issues ahead of our second weed treatment.

"The second weed treatment of the year is due to commence in the autumn.”