Thousands of tree covers are set to be removed after people called on authorities to have them cleared.

The eyesore has prompted Swale Borough Council to organise a community effort to take away the plastic cases from Kingsborough Manor Woodland in Eastchurch, Sheppey.

Around 5,000 trees were planted alongside a development to create the 13-hectare park.

Fifteen years on and they have outgrown their protective covers – leaving plastic littered all over the floor.

Volunteers initially took matters into their own hands after seeing the state of the site.

In February, KentOnline spoke to Dave Green, an owner of a pest control business and regular user of the woodland.

He called it a complete eyesore and alerted the council about the issue, but was told it was not responsible for the clean-up.

“It looks awful,” he said. “There are literally thousands of these plastic casings everywhere.

“Some of them have fallen off the trees while others are strangling them.

“We need the council to look at it and realise it can’t be left. If it were on the beach they wouldn’t leave it.”

The authority then contacted Mr Green, saying it would do what it could to help but doesn’t “have any budget”.

Now the council, alongside volunteers and a local business, has organised a community volunteer day to help collect and remove the tree covers.

Councillor Rich Lehmann, chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee said: “We are incredibly grateful to have so many amazing volunteers within our community who work hard to keep Swale clean, whether on our beaches or our green spaces like Kingsborough Manor Woodlands.

“Sadly, the council’s resources are being constantly stretched and these large-scale clean-ups wouldn’t be possible without the help of these volunteers and local businesses.

“We have promised to assist the volunteers as best we can and we are proud to have been able to work together to make this volunteer day possible.

“Making the creation of woodlands a part of new developments, which are being driven by central government policy, is an amazing way to utilize them to make a positive impact on our residents' lives.

“Trees not only help remove carbon from our atmosphere, reduce the risk of flooding on our roads and improve our biodiversity but also offer places for people to get active and enjoy nature.

“A big thank you to everyone who has been involved so far, we cannot do it alone so please come to our volunteer day and help make Swale a greener place for all.”

CDDL Recycling is providing tonne bags for the covers and has offered to remove and recycle them for free.

Sustainability coordinator Amy Harris added: “Our dedicated CDDL Recycling team will collect and process the guards ready to be made into new exciting products, but we need the community’s help.

“We require volunteers to collect and place guards in designated bags, supplied by CDDL Recycling, with volunteers already being a huge support.

“There are thousands of tree guards within the park that need collecting and recycling, together we can make a difference.”

It is set to take place next Friday (July 26) at 10am in Kingsborough Manor Community Woodlands car park, off Plough Road.

People who want to take part need to bring gloves and are encouraged to bring a flask of hot coffee or tea.

If you are planning on travelling to the Island, use the Sheppey Crossing as the Kingsferry Bridge will be closed.

For more information click here.

The council advises drivers to leave more time to travel as journeys may take longer.