Volunteers were left feeling down in the dumps when they discovered two overflowing commercial waste bins.

Representatives from the charity Litter Angels and the 10th Sittingbourne Scout Group were carrying out a litter picking activity when they came across the rubbish close to Roman Square, Sittingbourne.

Others had also dumped their unwanted items around the bins causing it to spill into a public access way down towards the High Street.

MP Gordon Henderson, who was taking part in the litter pick, immediately contacted Swale council to investigate and resolve the matter as soon as the mess was discovered.

He said: “Litter Angels invited the scouts along on a litter pick to teach them about litter and the effects it has on our environment.

“That definitely became clear to them when we came across the pile of waste.

“How anybody can leave a public space in such a disgusting state is beyond me.

“At a time when Litter Angels is doing so much to teach young people about the anti-social nature of litter, it is very frustrating that there is a minority of people in our community who feel they can dump waste like this and get away with it.

“I am disappointed that these people do not take more care of the area where they live and work and where young children play.”

Alister Andrews, environment response manager for the council, said: “I will ensure that one of our officers gets in touch with the landowner about preventing further incidents. We will also get a fly-tipping warning sign erected.

“We take fly-tipping offences very seriously and we are investigating this matter in order to find the offender.

“If anyone has any information, please get in touch with the council by calling 01795 417850.”

The litter pick itself was not a wasted effort though. A total of 30 bags of general litter was collected, three buckets full of bottles, three bags of cans plus a hypodermic syringe and a pregnancy kit.