Celebrations at the unveiling of colourful new artwork in a railway station underpass are “premature”, residents say who believe it is still dirty and plagued with graffiti.

It is said to be taking the shine off the freshly decorated subway at Faversham station which followed a campaign to create a mural to brighten it up.

The commissioned new artwork, inspired by ideas from pupils from the town’s Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School and Faversham Society members, was reproduced by artist Graham Upton.

But users complain it is still in need of an urgent deep clean and suffering from vandalism.

“The continued vandalism, including its use as a public toilet, is a sad reflection on a section of our society who feel they must desecrate their surroundings in passing,” says Brian Summers, who lives in the town.

“So I think the celebrations about the mural, nice as it is, are a bit premature because the fact is it needs a serious clean.”

Mr Summers, 84, a retired technical services manager, says he and his wife use the subway several times a week.

“Unfortunately, it’s been dirty and uncleaned for a long time and now it appears there could be the passing of the buck over who’s responsible.

“But all it needs is a good steam clean once a month to keep the worst at bay, which I don’t think is much to ask.

“I have spoken to quite a few people who use the subway who think the same.”

The town’s mayor Cllr Josh Rowlands admits it is a problem that needs tackling.

“We now have an amazing new mural but the poor cleanliness of the subway is really taking the shine off it and is something we need to sort sooner rather than later,“ he told KentOnline.

But the issue is complicated by the divided responsibilities for the underpass, with Network Rail responsible for the walls and ceiling and Swale Borough Council, the floor.

“We are in the process of trying to set up a meeting with Swale and its environmental team as well as [MP] Helen Whately’s office to try to sort this out,” said Cllr Rowlands.

“There is no doubt it needs a regular cleaning schedule with specialist equipment because, like most subways, it is going to get misused.

“But we don’t want users to have an unpleasant experience when they walk through.”

The mural project has been made possible following a campaign by Faversham and Mid Kent MP Ms Whately, who has been besieged with complaints about the state of the subway, leading to discussions with Network Rail.

She asked the company to clean it numerous times in recent years but, last year, proposed a wider restoration.

Together with representatives from West Faversham Community Centre, Faversham Town Council and the Faversham Society, a bid was submitted and, in March, they learned it was successful.

The £5,000 funding came from the Southern Green Fund – a money pot for initiatives which benefit the environment and local communities.

The mural features both the town’s heritage, including the Creek and hop picking as well as local landmarks.