The site of an abandoned seafront development has been left in a “mess” and must be cleared immediately, a councillor says.

Metal fencing, debris and orange netting have been pictured on an 18-acre plot at Princes Parade in Hythe.

It comes after controversial plans for 150 homes, a leisure centre and hotel were dropped by Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) last year.

Hoardings were removed from the prime seafront site in April and replaced by a 1.2-metre perimeter fence made of wire mesh stretched between wooden posts.

But when contractors completed the works, debris was left on the site and has remained untouched for months.

The land was previously earmarked for development under the former Conservative-led council.

But the new Green-Lib Dem coalition, which gained control of FHDC last May, axed the proposal following a pre-election promise.

Now, Cllr Stephen Bailey, of Hythe Town Council (HTC), is calling for the mess to be cleared up as soon as possible.

“When the old hoardings came down and the new fencing went up, we felt all of the old orange netting and the remaining debris should have been tied in with the initial works,” the deputy mayor said.

“They took the orange fencing down and just left it in the brambles.

“We are all glad the development was stopped and the big hoardings came down but it is a shame it has been left in a mess.

“It's just an eyesore that we feel would be quite easy to remedy.”

The issue was discussed by HTC at a meeting last month, and members agreed the mess should be cleared before the spring.

In response to the concerns, a FHDC spokesman said: “We have a contractor on site this week to tidy the most visible areas.

“They will return in the autumn to clear the rest once seasonal plants have died back.”

In April, authority leader Cllr Jim Martin (Green) said he is happy to listen to “all suggestions” regarding the future of the land.

He confirmed at the time that a consultation will be held with residents later this year to get views on what should be done with it.

FHDC has moved the hoardings to the Otterpool Park ‘garden town’ development site at the former Folkestone Racecourse.