A sofa, two armchairs and a foot stool were dumped along the Marsh seafront, causing concerns among residents.

The beige fabric seats are thought to have appeared on the stretch along Coast Road, Littlestone, at some point over the weekend.

They had been cleared by Wednesday.

The incident occurred just days before Shepway District Council (SDC) was due to launch a series of litter-picking activity days across the district as part of the The Great British Spring Clean (see page 4, opposite).

The national scheme aims to encourage people to keep their streets and communities rubbish-free.

A spokesman for the council said: “We feel that if people are buying a new suite then they should consider how to get rid of their old one without dumping – literally – the responsibility on the community.”

'We feel that if people are buying a new suite then they should consider how to get rid of their old one without dumping – literally – the responsibility on the community.' - SDC

A picture of the suite was shared on the Real Marsh Watch Facebook page, where a mass of comments were made.

Many people speculated about how the furniture got there, while others spoke about the issue of fly-tipping in the area.

Linda Roake said: “It’s a shame, somebody could have used that suite, what a waste.”

Cynthia Hayward said: “It would probably have been less trouble to take it to the tip.”

Council workers often collect fly-tipped items on their rounds despite it being an offence to leave such bulky items in public places.

An exact price tag of how much it costs the council to clear up after littering louts could not be determined, but people can pay to get their items removed for £23.95.

The service can be booked on the SDC website, and a small charge of £6 per item is made if more than one needs disposing of.

If those taking part in one of the 11 litter-picking events see any incidents of fly-tipping, they can be reported to the coordinator on the day or online via shepway.gov.uk/fly-tipping