A council wants to crack down on holidaymakers leaving their campervans “right outside” people’s houses and blocking driveways.

Some residents living near The Leas - a popular clifftop beauty spot in Folkestone - say they have even had human waste left in their gardens.

Although an existing public space protection order (PSPO) already covers Metropole Road West and bans unlawful camping, tourists are said to be staying for several nights.

Peter Oughton, who has lived in the road for the last seven years, told KentOnline nuisance parking is a persistent issue in the area.

The 71-year-old added: “It’s always busy during the summer months and I appreciate that.

“But the problems we get are sometimes rubbish is thrown into our gardens. We’ve had human waste and bottles of urine, all just popped over the fence.

“There are only three or four driveways in Metropole Road West, which are the only places you can pull in to let people pass. It makes it quite fractious at times, and it’s frustrating when we’re trying to get to our home.”

The issue is exacerbated by parking restrictions on The Leas, where campervans are banned between midnight and 7am.

Mr Oughton added: “I think parking permits or a pay meter would be a good addition. It may be a bit harsh for people trying to access The Leas, but other restrictions just seem to be moving the issue to our road.”

Fellow resident Odyeseas Loizou, who has lived in Metropole Road West for 40 years, believes more decisive action needs to be taken.

The 90-year-old said: “It’s a terrible problem. Several times, the backs of cars have been blocking my driveway.

“We pay our council tax, our bills, but sometimes I can’t even get out of my own home.

“People just seem to park wherever they like. They need to add double yellow lines, that’s the only way they’ll stop this.”

At a meeting Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) on Wednesday night, Cllr Polly Blakemore said investigations into parking in the area were ongoing.

“I recognise that we do have an issue of parked motorhomes in Metropole Road West and it's a long-standing one,” she said.

“The issues you have highlighted have as much to do with environmental crime as they do with parking.

“Following previous complaints, the environmental crime team have been monitoring this area and residents have been asked to log any issues via the council's website.

“So far we have not found evidence of human waste, rubbish deposited on private land and associated problems but we do continue to patrol the area.”

Cllr Blakemore said parking permit restrictions have recently been introduced in some nearby roads.

She added: “It was decided to include an overnight motor caravan ban after receiving several representations from residents about visitors with motorhomes occupying the limited parking spaces for several weeks or even months at a time.

“If we receive specific reports from the environmental team that they are unable to address issues such as long-term parking of motorhomes in Metropole Road West we will be able to consider the introduction of new restrictions.”

Plans have recently been launched to renew and extend the existing PSPO to include roads close to the beach in nearby Hythe, such as Princes Parade, Twiss Road, South Road, and West Parade.

The extension was approved by FHDC’s cabinet at a meeting last month and will be subject to a six-week public consultation.

Councillors heard how the local authority’s officers have faced difficulties tackling unlawful camping similar to that at Metropole Road West.

Cllr Tim Prater said: “If someone sleeps in a campervan overnight on holiday, that is an offence under the PSPO.

“If the team is notified that someone has been there for a number of nights and it is causing a problem, like using a space right outside someone's home, then they can be moved on.

“Clearly, there may have to be a different response if the person is homeless and that’s the only place they can sleep tonight.

“So I fully understand the difficulties the enforcement team have between people just popping down for a few nights in a local road overlooking somebody’s house and those sleeping in a campervan, as it is their only option.

“If their only other option is to sleep under a hedge, then sleep in the damn van and we should be dealing with that through the housing team and in a different way.”

But fellow Lib Dem Cllr Gary Fuller queried whether there was a more effective way to tackle the issue.

He said: “The impression I’m getting when I’m speaking to people is what they really want is a much shorter process for moving people along where it’s right to do so.

“They’re not so much worried about the prosecution rate so much as the continued presence.

“So if our approach with the PSPO can continue to try to deal with the problem by effectively stopping it from happening rather than worrying about a watertight conviction, then I think that’s much more of a winner from the public’s point of view.”

The original PSPO, covering areas from Folkestone to Dungeness, was enacted in 2019 and then renewed three years later - but is set to expire in June.

As well as unlawful camping, the PSPO also covers antisocial alcohol consumption, use of intoxicating substances, spitting, urinating or defecating, begging, antisocial street entertainment and unauthorised street fundraising.

Cllr Fuller added: “This should prove a useful lever for us to have to ensure that the district's residents are safe and feel comfortable in their district.”