Council taxpayers have been left with a £15,000 bill to clean up an area described as “looking like Beirut” after it was used by travellers as an illegal camp.

KCC revealed the scale of the cost of the operation to clear the site close to the Cyclopark, just off the A2 at Gravesend, after travellers spent a week on the land last month.

The area was compared to a bomb site this week as KCC looked to start removing the rubbish, with one man describing it as “looking like Beirut”.

The illegal incursion was the first of several in north Kent with Darenth Country Park, Swanley Park and Gravesend Grammar School also targeted. The cost to clear those is not known.

The mess has infuriated politicians with calls for the travellers to be prosecuted and charged for fly-tipping instead of leaving it down to taxpayers to fund the clean-up.

Bryan Sweetland, KCC member for Gravesham Rural, said: “Much more needs to be done to recover costs from fly-tippers in Kent and secure prosecutions whoever the culprits are.

“It will cost taxpayers close to £15,000 to clean up the area next to the Cyclopark in Gravesham and this is totally unacceptable.

“More must be done to catch and prosecute all fly-tippers whether they are travellers or not.

“During a time when council budgets are being significantly reduced, council tax money should be spent on providing vital council services, not cleaning up after fly-tippers.

“Local people in north Kent have had enough and I was pleased to see the support from Gareth Johnson, the MP for Dartford, who is equally frustrated by the current situation.”

KCC said it was in the process of co-ordinating a joint initiative with police, the Environment Agency and borough councils to share intelligence in the hope of securing future prosecutions.

Security next to the Cyclopark has also been beefed up with new barriers and gates.

Barbara Cooper, KCC’s corporate director for growth, environment and transport, said: “We are still hoping to obtain the necessary information to identify the people responsible for depositing the rubbish on land next to Cyclopark and recoup the cost of the clean-up operation.

“However, we have to accept that in this case it will not be easy to prosecute the individuals involved. Because the waste left at the site was significant and of different types, there has to be careful consideration of its safe, appropriate and cost-effective disposal by companies which are properly equipped and registered for the work rather than our own staff.

“KCC is now in the process of issuing a contract for a local company to undertake the work. It is expected that the clear-up will commence shortly and be fully completed by the end of July at the latest.”