DESTRUCTIVE louts have been told to clean up their act after vandalised benches had to be removed from a Port Glasgow beauty spot because of their poor condition.

Vandals tore planks from the public seats which were next to a footpath through Kelburn Park and left the benches in such a sorry state that council officers had to take them away.

Port Glasgow councillor Kirsty Law says she contacted officials when she saw the derelict seats and also advised them of her concerns about littering along the walkway.

OTHER NEWS: Inverclyde politicians speak out after HMP Greenock inspection

The SNP politician says the council’s difficult financial position makes it hard to justify replacing the benches, which gave walkers a place to rest and enjoy some of the most stunning views of the Clyde.

Greenock Telegraph: Councillor Kirsty Law concerned about littering and vandalism at Kelburn

Councillor Law said: “I regularly walk this way and I noticed the state of the picnic benches and that there was quite a lot of litter in the area.

“I spoke to the council officers and asked for the benches to be removed because none of them were fit for sitting on.

“It was better to have them taken away than have them sitting there taking the nice look away from this beautiful walk when you can’t use them anyway.

“I think people have removed planks of the wood from the benches and wilfully damaged it.

“Littering, particularly along the wooden walkway, has been really bad at times.

“That’s right on the water, which means the litter is going to end up in the Clyde. None of us want to see that."

Councillor Law told the Telegraph that those who had been damaging the benches and leaving litter in the area needed to consider the impact their actions were having.

Greenock Telegraph: Councillor Kirsty Law concerned about littering and vandalism at Kelburn

She added: “I would tell people doing this to think about their actions, this is one of the most beautiful parts of the area, we want people to come here and enjoy it.

“We want it to be a nice, clean environment that people can bring their families to and sit.

“It is quite a big walk so having the benches would be good for people coming through.

“We want to promote Port Glasgow and things like this make it unwelcoming for people, I hope it stops.

“Hopefully we’ll get new benches but as the ward councillors it’s quite difficult for me to ask for the council to commit money to them when all of the previous ones were left in an unusable state.

“We all know the budgetary pressures we’re under, so we don’t have the money to keep replacing and replacing.”

An Inverclyde Council spokesperson confirmed that officers were aware of issues at the site and that work was being done to keep it clean.

They said: “Despite being a beautiful coastal location which is ideal for walking, running, cycling and picnics, some areas have unfortunately been a target for vandalism and anti-social behaviour, which is completely unacceptable.

“We have removed the damaged benches and while we do carry out litter checks in the area, particularly the walkway twice a week, we will carry out additional patrols.”