A fuming dog walker has compared the overgrown grass at his local park to 1980s sci-fi series The Day of the Triffids.

Butcher Gary Hunt, who is known locally for campaigning for a bollard to be removed, said he has complained to Medway Council three times over the “unacceptable state” of Northcote Road Recreation Park in Strood.

But the local authority has said the greenspace is regularly cut but the recent spring weather means the grass is growing quicker than usual so takes more time to maintain.

Mr Hunt said: “This park is outside my house, I have three dogs and I try to be a responsible owner, clear up after them. But when it is left like this, it is impossible to clear up.

“I just want them to do their job properly and maintain it to a standard where you can come to the park and enjoy it. It is an absolute eyesore as it is.

“It is out of control. It looks like something out of The Day of the Triffids.

“I have mentioned it the council three times and it is in one ear and out the other. They just do not care, it gripes me that they just do not care. The park has just been left.”

The park in Northcote Road was mowed last week, however, Mr Hunt says the outer banks have not been maintained or strimmed in two months.

He says when he raised this with Medway he was told workers are unable to cut the grass as quickly as it is growing – which has been twice as quick recently due to the weather.

A spokesman said: "Our contractor is continuing to regularly cut the grass at all of our greenspaces, including at Northcote Recreation Ground.

“In spring, sunshine and showers causes the grass to grow quicker than in other seasons, which takes longer to cut.”

But Mr Hunt says this is the authority’s “get out of jail card”, adding: “What happens in the summer when it is not raining and they do not come out for weeks because the grass is not growing?

“You average it out but they think it is acceptable to leave it like this. Would they leave this if it was outside their house? I bet they would not. You would not let your own garden get like it.

“I am a Taurian, I am a bull, I will not be fobbed off about this. We are frightened to walk in the grass as you do not know what you are treading on.”

Residents can report concerns about grass cutting by calling Medway Council on 01634 333333 or by reporting it on its website.