A CAMPAIGN has been launched to clean up an overgrown Gourock beauty spot – and get to the root of who is responsible for almost a decade of neglect.

Residents living on Cloch Road are growing increasingly concerned about the state of the path across from their homes — and the land behind it — which is an unruly mess.

Trees, plants and bushes have become badly overgrown, which locals claim is due to years of neglect by landowners.

Locals fear the state of the pathway, which stretches from McInroy’s Point towards Gourock town centre, will put off visitors who regularly use it for walking, running and cycling.

Robert Dinning, 62, has lived in the area for 30 years and wants action taken to tidy it up.

He is among a group of locals who have been forced to dip into their own pockets to pay private gardeners to cut back affected sections across from their properties.

He told the Tele: “We have a gardener that comes to cut our grass and I’ve got him to cut across the street for the last few years.

“We’ve tried to sort it ourselves but we’re fighting a losing battle and we don’t have the right tools.

“There are so many people who come down this way but they can’t see the river any more because it’s so messy.” Fellow Cloch Road resident Bob Dillon, 69, added: “The other problem is the litter — people see it like this and just drop their own rubbish and it ends up laying all over the place.” Locals have now mounted a campaign calling for those responsible to carry out an urgent clean-up — and they are being backed by Gourock councillor Ronnie Ahlfeld.

Cllr Ahlfeld said: “For some time now I have been trying to have this problem addressed.

“The council advise that their responsibility for weed control only stretches as far as the railings.

“The problem just gets worse every year, it really is an eyesore.

“I hope some common sense prevails and this is attended to and kept under control in the future. Whoever the owners are, they must take action.” Confusion surrounds exactly who is responsible, with Inverclyde Council bosses confirming they do not own the land but adding that staff do trim it back as much as possible.

It had been suggested Ardgowan Estate, owned by the Shaw Stewart family, is in charge of the area but a spokesman said today the land is not theirs.

A council spokesman added: “Landowners have a responsibility when it comes to their own property and land.

“The council does not own this piece of land, which ties our hands in many areas. Rather than do nothing, we have a duty to make sure that overgrown vegetation doesn’t encroach onto roads and cause a danger.

“So we have previously cut back the area and tackled some potentially dangerous trees at this location. The landowner needs to sort this out long term.”