A SANDOWN retiree has said she and other residents are "fed up" with the degraded state of Sandown Battery Gardens.

Elaine Hayes said they had repeatedly contacted the Isle of Wight Council, asking it to properly maintain Ferncliff Path which runs besides the gardens and the Sandown Barrack Battery, a national scheduled monument.

She told the County Press the council was "not prepared" to clear the path.

After attempting to contact the council's Commercial Services, who she said were not responsive, Elaine and seven other volunteers got to work on the path themselves last Monday (August 19).

Isle of Wight County Press: Sandown residents volunteering

Elaine said: "30 man-hours later, between us, we cleared the path and made a big difference.

"The outpouring of support by the Sandown residents has been quite overwhelming.

"We shouldn't have to do it but it seems that quite possibly this is Islandwide - this is a national monument that this cliff path runs beside and it is a disgrace, absolute disgrace."

On Friday morning, Elaine discovered the path "full of cans", "broken glass" and "rubbish" with the "smell of urine".

She added: "When is the council going to make a permanent solution to this eyesore waste of money and time?"

A spokesperson for Isle of Wight Council said: "We are sorry to hear that the residents felt it necessary to undertake works to the path, but thank them for their efforts.

"The coastal cliff path is maintained within the Isle of Wight Council grounds maintenance contract.

"The site-specific information for the coastal cliff path from Sandown to Shanklin is for an annual cut of the grass areas over the fence, on the cliff edge, between mid-September and mid-November.

"This includes scrub and vegetation such as bramble and gorse.

“Under Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to cause harm to nesting birds or their eggs, therefore the trimming of hedges should not be undertaken in nesting bird season.

"Nesting months are typically between March and August each year, which is why hedge cutting is carried out in the autumn/winter months.

"The issues with the shelters beneath Battery Gardens that have generated the beer cans and odour, are due to vandalism of the Heras fencing by individuals to gain access to the shelters.

"We are currently working to identify a long-term solution to either bring the shelters back in to use, or permanently fence off to avoid this issue reoccurring."