Glass bottles and dry overgrowth at Kerelaw Castle Country Estate is a fire hazard, says a local group.

Stevenston Debating Group have accused North Ayrshire Council of failing to maintain the site, calling it “carnage”.

In a letter to the Herald, the group said: “We were amazed and disappointed at the condition of grass cutting, scattered litter and very high overgrown vegetation in the castle courtyard that had not been maintained for months and was an eyesore to a historical building, but also a danger to the nearby council property should a fire start within the dry areas caused by litter.

"There was not even a waste bin within the whole country park.

"It would seem that this particular well known historical site in the eyes of the NAC services is their council motto: ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ as we could not even find an identification sign on any road routes to this important site and was only directed by a local town person.”

The council responded: “Officers from our Streetscene Team visited the site last week with a local historian. Unfortunately, they found a large amount of litter at the site as it appears to have become a popular gathering spot.

"Following the visit, the Streetscene Rapid Response Team cleared the area of litter as well as uplifting some fly-tipping.

"The ground maintenance will be completed within the next few days.

"We would urge anyone with any information or evidence relating to the littering, fly-tipping and vandalism at this site to report it to our Streetscene Environmental Team on 01294 310 000."