A spot that is regularly used to dump rubbish in a town centre will finally be cleared after being left untouched for months.

The "sea of litter" can be seen in a gap between Maidstone Bus Station and Sainsbury's in Romney Place.

A photo shows heaps of waste in a long narrow opening – including an abandoned trolley, a wet floor sign, shopping bags, plastic bottles, face masks and more.

The ground level between the two buildings is privately owned by the supermarket chain.

Despite this, no action by Sainsbury's has been taken to clear the site, and was left for months to pile up.

After complaints from both the public and local councillors, Maidstone Borough Council has now confirmed they will be removing the rubbish themselves.

Cllr Tony Harwood (Lib Dem) for North Ward, has actively campaigned against environmental contamination, previously highlighting the pollution of the River Len – which runs through part of the town centre and underneath the bus station building.

"I remain bemused that such squalor has persisted so long in the shadow of the council's headquarters at Maidstone House," he said.

"This sea of litter is the first thing many visitors see when they arrive by bus.

"I reported the litter build-up to the council around a month ago and was assured that the Sainsbury's estates team would be tackled.

"I even offered to help clear the litter if they needed to intervene.

"The council have the power to ensure that private landowners clean up their land.

"I have routinely worked with officers to enable precisely this on other high profile areas around the town.

"Usually, an approach by the council is enough to trigger action."

Several people on Facebook say that the area smells, with a few spotting rats nearby.

One added: "It does stink...and the rain runs off the roof onto the walkway, so that wasn't designed well.

"As for the rubbish, that's lazy people, how do you stop that?"

Another commented: "I was always told take your litter home.

"I don’t know if there are bins back now if not then they need to be. Why do people think it’s okay to just throw it down."

The bus station was subject to a £1.5m renovation in 2021, mostly funded by the council – which included better lighting, new floor tiling, seating benches and waste bins, with wooden panelled ceilings in parts.

However, it was previously criticised for having a mouldy and leaking roof just over a year later.

A spokesman from MBC said: "The council has become aware of the increasing build-up of litter.

"In response to the problem, MBC is working closely with One Maidstone Business Improvement District (BID) to organise a targeted tidy-up on April 25 and 26.

"The work will include a litter pick as well as removing objects from the river and around the area.

"This project is just one of a series in the #CleanUpMaidstone, where the council and One Maidstone unite to tackle littering problems.

"For each event, a specific area in the town centre is selected to improve and make safe, clean and green for our residents, visitors and local businesses.

"Past targeted operations have included Week Street, Earl Street and Pudding Lane."

A Sainsbury’s spokesman added: “We’ve been in touch with the council and are working with them to help clear up the litter.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

Cllr Harwood believes there is a wider problem, with Maidstone becoming a "throw away society" and littering reaching epidemic levels.

He added: "The quantity of alcohol bottles and cans, disposable vapes, nitrous oxide cylinders and other detritus that so disfigures our town and countryside is an embarrassment.

"Depressingly, virtually every bottle I retrieve while out litter-picking entombed trapped wildlife, including Stag Beetles to Pygymy Shrews and Wood Mice.

"The heavily littered state of this and some other high profile 'gateway' sites around the County Town is sadly emblematic of 'broken Maidstone'."

Local elections are taking place on Thursday, May 4.

Standing for election in the North Ward is Scott Hahnefeld (Conservative Party), Kimberley Joan Milham (Green Party), Rachel Mary Slaughter (Labour Party) and Michael Thompson (Liberal Democrat).