Tourists visiting the newly unveiled Bobby Lennox statue could be put off by nearby flytipping according to a local volunteer.

Laura Alexander from West Kilbride has been taking an elderly acquaintance to regular appointments in Saltcoats since mid-September and is appalled at the state of a nearby piece of land.

The patch of grass on the town’s Quay Street is littered with furniture and other items of household waste.

Laura, who is part of the beach cleaning team at Portencross, said: “It really, really annoyed me because in November the Bobby Lennox statue was unveiled and you’d think they would do a sweep of the area to make sure everything was tickety-boo. It’s a tourist attraction and people will be taking pictures of it.

“There’s a couch and all this mess a mere 200m from Saltcoats Town Hall. People are going to weddings in the town hall and that [the mess] is in the background.

“I think it’s very unsightly. It’s been there since September that I know of, which is pathetic.

“It’s in a key position, it’s overlooked by these flats – I assume council flats. What does that say about looking after your property? The odd thing is there’s the most wonderful garden nearby, so they’ve got people take pride in their properties.”

Laura said that she has contacted North Ayrshire Council on several occasions and that she emailed Councillor Jim Montgomerie.

She said: “I have done an online complaint to the council three times and the council have not contacted me.

“I contacted one of the local ward councillor. He answered me very promptly and said he would get onto it and find out. He found out it was private land, so he was going to request the council send a letter to the landlord.

“There’s not a lot the council can do sadly because it’s up to the landlord.”

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “As this area is in private ownership, the council’s Streetscene team does not have the power to enter the site and clear the waste.

“We have made attempts to contact who we understand to be the landowner to ensure the waste is removed and the land is maintained to an acceptable standard.”