Horrified guests were left stunned at the state of the holiday let they had booked on the Kent coast.

Colin Yexley, 61, and sister Jackie, 70, discovered nappies, sanitary towels and broken glass strewn across the garden on arrival at the Ramsgate accommodation.

The freezer was also broken and the washing machine missing at the three-bed house in Cecilia Road, which set them back £1,300 for a fortnight.

When approached by KentOnline, the holiday let’s owners blamed seagulls for creating the mess - and insisted the issues were addressed as soon as possible.

But Colin said: “When you book something, you expect it to be to at least a good standard, but this was diabolical - it basically wasn’t fit for purpose.

“The garden was full of rubbish, black bags everywhere, sanitary towels, nappies and broken bottles.”

The listing on booking.com is described as having a fully-equipped kitchen.

But there was no washing machine and after four days at the property Mr Yexley discovered the freezer had not been working.

“The light was on in the fridge, but when I went to the freezer, it just stunk as soon as I opened the door,” he said.

Colin and Jackie live in a mobile home in Ripple, near Deal, but due to the caravan park’s rules they must vacate for a couple of weeks every 12 months as they cannot stay there all year round.

For the previous four years they have used booking.com to find somewhere to stay and have been happy every time - but they were sorely disappointed at what they found last week.

“My sister thought it was all her fault, that she had done something wrong, but it looks absolutely lovely on the website,” Colin said.

“You expect if you go on holiday, wherever it is, for it to at least look a bit like the pictures.

“If I bought a car I’d expect there to be doors and wheels on it.”

The issues have since been addressed, with the rubbish cleared and new appliances fitted.

Colin added: “The chap they sent round has done everything - a new washing machine, a brand new fridge freezer and a hoover.

“He’s gone above and beyond, but this shouldn’t have been needed even on the first day, let alone day six.

“It’s a lot of money for pensioners. We accept we have to go away for two weeks every year, and we’ve got dogs - we expect to pay a bit more - but there should be a standard people have to stick to.”

The owners of the property said: “Unfortunately, there was rubbish and seagulls had got to the bin before he arrived, so obviously no one had been there on the day Mr Yexley arrived.

“Regarding the fridge freezer, we have never had an issue with it before, but it did, unfortunately, die.

“This was addressed as soon as possible.

"He wanted a welcome pack but that's not something we do."

They added that they host guests across several properties and are consistently well-reviewed.

Booking.com has been contacted for comment.

KentOnline has previously reported on the boom in holiday lets in the county - particularly on the east Kent coast - and the impact on the property market.

Last year we revealed there were 282 Airbnbs advertised in Ramsgate, compared to just 33 available for private rent.