A concerned councillor hopes rats will not return to a public footpath just yards from a supermarket after residents were put off using the walkway.

Chestfield parish council chairman Steve Bailey has called on bosses at the nearby Sainsbury’s store, in Reeves Way, to keep the route maintained after rodents were spotted.

The 58-year-old – who lives in Primrose Way, next to the path which runs alongside Whitstable Rugby Club – said people were opting not to use it before it got trimmed back.

He said: “I had to make numerous phone calls to Sainsbury’s as we had previously been promised that the land would all be cut back – it was never done.

“When the rats started reappearing it was getting in a bad state, including near some adjoining properties.

“We had younger parents with little kids who were frightened of letting their kids out.”

Cllr Bailey called Sainsbury’s to clear the path, which forms part of the Chestfield circular walk, and it was cut back at the end of August.

Rat boxes have also been put down and Cllr Bailey thanked the store’s commercial manager Sarah Rogers for organising the clean-up.

He added: “I’m very pleased – I just hope they keep it up.

“This has been going on for five or six years.

“They did extensive cutting back about two years ago but older people have said to me they were scared to walk down there at night because it was overlapping the streetlights.

“All I ask for is it that it is maintained. It is a public right of way; it forms part of the Chestfield circular walk – that’s probably the main point.

“We do our best to maintain them and it will be nice to make sure Sainsbury’s maintain them.”

Sainsbury’s spokesman Alex Doorey said the store cleaned the land as a gesture of goodwill.

She said: “The ownership of the land is unclear, we are looking into it, but as a gesture of goodwill we have cleaned the land.”