Medway council will install skips to help climate campers keep the Hoo peninsula rubbish free, although the recycling mad eco-warriors are unlikely to put many bags out for the dustman.

In a bid to stop residents footing the bill, the Council have attempted to get payment from camp organisers, for the eight or more skips they estimate will be required. A mobile number has been passed to leading protesters in the hope they will contact the council and organise drop off arrangements.

Officials say they will provide the minimum level of support to the event that the law requires them to, in order to minimise the financial burden on council tax payers. Statutory duty states that local councils must remove waste for disposal but they can charge for collection.

Legally if campers were to leave a trail of destruction in their wake when they leave Hoo on August 11, responsibility would fall to the land owner to deal with it.

But Andy Mcgrath, assistant director of front line services at Medway council, said: “Campers are environmentalist and at previous camps have left any land they have occupied in a good condition.

“If a request for assistance in helping to clear up land was given then the council would be sympathetic considering the circumstances and step in.”

“We are conscious our residents wouldn’t want us to be spending council tax supporting political events, and we will minimise cost to the lowest level we can.”

Pledges have also been made to minimise potential disruption to residents but also to ensure protestors staying at the climate camp are safe. Health and safety advice on how to manage large events has been passed to organisers.

Noise isn’t expected to be an issue. Under normal circumstances the council would serve a notice and prosecute the occupance of the property however with 3,000 protestors expected this is deemed a little tricky.

Mr Mcgrath, added: “Speaking to protestors we don’t think noise will be an issue. But if problems do arise serving the normal notices wouldn’t work. We do have powers to stop things like illegal raves and can remove electrical equipment.”

“Campers have made no secret that some of them favour direct action, but we will work around this and act very quickly if damage to road networks occur to ensure local services continue. Measures will be taken to ensure we can provide the same level of standards of services no matter what happens. “

“We will of course be working very closely with Kent Police and action plans which we can’t go into have been drawn up to deal with any eventually.” Medway council hope that if campers do use the skips provided they will sort rubbish into categories to allow any waste to be recycled at a waste disposal site in Rainham. However correspondence with councils who have previously hosted climate camps and campers themselves suggest most waste will be recycled with minimal need to resort to landfill or incineration.