A burnt-out lorry left at the side of the road for weeks looks like "an image from a third world country", say fed-up villagers.

But the city council says the litter-strewn lay-by near Canterbury cannot currently be cleaned due to safety issues - amid confusion over who owns the site.

Barham resident David Bax is among those disgusted by the condition of the roadside area, which lies on the B2046 near his village.

He branded it an "eyesore", adding that it "could be an image from a third-world country".

"We have had to suffer an enormous amount of litter plus a burnt-out lorry which has been there for at least four weeks," he said.

"What a welcome for tourists as and when they arrive, and an appalling sight for local residents."

Cleaning the lay-by is the responsibility of Canterbury City Council.

But a spokesman said: "Because it is an unofficial lay-by, it can't be closed to vehicles in the way a proper lay-by can. It therefore cannot safely be cleaned as vehicles regularly come and go and we can't guarantee the safety of the crews working there."

There is also currently confusion over whether Kent County Council or Highways England owns the land.

The city council says it is working to resolve this, adding: "Once ownership is established, the owner can either make arrangements to close it so that we can go in and clean it, or turn it into a formal lay-by with a defined pavement, at which point we would be happy to install a litter bin and add it to the regular cleaning schedule."

Meanwhile, Canterbury city councillor Mike Sole (Lib Dem) has also blasted "filthy" grass verges along the A2, where litter has not been picked since autumn 2019.

"It is disgraceful that no clean has taken place for 18 months," said Cllr Sole, who has himself been out to clear sections of the roadside.

"The verges are filthy, filling with litter and bottles of urine. What sort of welcome is this to a district that relies so heavily on tourism?”

The city council typically arranges clean-ups along the A2 every Spring and autumn.

But the authority says "Covid-19 and preparations for our transition out of the EU" meant they could not take place last year.

Spokesman Rob Davies said: "Many councils in Kent are in the same boat. In order for this work to be carried out safely on high-speed roads, lane closures are required.

"The companies that manage this process have not allowed their crews out onto the roads to put the safety measures in place, which meant no cleaning could happen.

"We are keen to get cracking with whatever is possible this year, within any restrictions that may remain in place."

Mr Davies says lay-bys on the A2 will be cleaned next week, but it could be another 14 weeks before the council can arrange for the verges to be cleared safely.

"We appreciate this is not the news anyone wants to hear and it's certainly not the news we want to be giving," he said.

"We will be doing all we can to bring this forward as much as possible, but to manage expectations, we want to be clear with residents that it will realistically be some time yet before we are able to get out and do this."

He added that the council "full understands" concerns about the condition of verges along the A2, and condemns the "irresponsible actions of people who chuck their rubbish out of the car or lorry window without a moment's consideration for the environment".

"It means we are forced to spend council taxpayers' money on clearing up after their laziness rather than on vital frontline services," he said.

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