A water fountain has been installed at a country park - but questions have been raised about why it has cost £5k and why it has been located next to a cafe.

The water refill station has been put in at Riverside Country Park in Rainham to help tackle plastic waste.

People will be able to fill up their water bottles - but the cafe right next to it already does this for free.

Medway Council has defended its decision to spend £5,484 on the dispenser, after people on social media have slammed the cost of the project.

Annemarie Newman said: "Waste of tax payers money. Just an outside tap would be fine."

Daniel Kavanagh labelled it a rip off and asked: "Why not just put a tap there?"

Steve Howard agreed, adding: "How can you possibly spend £5,400 on a tap. It's a tap, on the side of an existing building, not a new bathroom."

The water fountain was partly funded by a £2,000 grant from Sea-Changers, a UK coastal marine conservation charity, as part of it scheme to reduce the impact of single-use plastic water bottles in coastal habitats.

The council’s Climate Response and Child-Friendly Medway teams also contributed £3,484 towards the cost.

Medway Council said the eligibility criteria for the funding from Sea-Changers required the water fountain to be installed at, or near, a coastal location. The location next to the cafe was also chosen to "minimise costs".

Cllr Howard Doe, deputy leader of Medway Council, said: “Riverside Country Park is incredibly popular with residents and the new fountain has been installed outside the visitor centre to provide accessible drinking water to visitors at all times. Although the café has signed up to the ReFill campaign, people can only fill up their water bottles during opening hours and if the café is busy, this could deter people from filling up.”

The council said the fountain unit was chosen in line with advice from ReFill and was bought from one of their recommended providers who offer Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS) Certified units suitable for outdoor coastal environments.

The cost included supply, delivery and installation, a frost upgrade pack to protect it during the colder months, and additional fittings to protect the fountain against vandalism.

Stuart Bourne, former chairman of the Friends of Rainham Rec group and part of the Rainham Eco Hub community group, welcomed the fountain as part efforts to reduce plastic waste but questioned why it had been put there.

He said: "It is a great idea. But I hope it isn't a token gesture and we will see them across all parks in Medway.

"The cafe at Rainham Country Park will refill water bottles so I think there are other places it could have gone. Even just in Rainham there are other places that would have benefited."