A POPULAR beauty spot is being ruined by thoughtless youths dumping rubbish there.

Locals have reacted angrily after swathes of bottles, litter and even underwear was discovered strewn across the hills at Greta Falls.

They say the good weather and school holidays have attracted groups of youths to the area in greater numbers than normal - making the problem even worse.

Ian Dippie, who is involved in the Save the Gretas campaign, came across the mess when walking through the area and raised the alarm.

His pictures show the land covered in plastic bottles and packaging and he today hit out at the culprits' conduct.

Ian said: “This is area is often a problem, but I think it is a lot worse at the moment because of the good weather and a lot of young people going up the hills for some fun.

“It was only a few weeks ago that I went up with plastic bags and lifted what I could, and some teenagers even helped me.

“I think its great to see the young people enjoying the area, but the mess that is being left is a disgrace.

“There is litter, bottles glass and plastic, cans, socks, towels, underwear, food packaging, all sorts being left on the grassy slopes and in the burn.

“The worst of it is that because it is all next to the water its likely going to be washed down to the seafront, which people are putting in so much effort to keep clean and tidy.

“If the people responsible can manage to carry it all up, then they are definitely able to carry it all back down to a bin.”

A number of littering issues have been raised in recent weeks around the town, with the police being notified of particular incidents.

Last month the News reported that the Largs hills were becoming a cause for concern after empty beer cans were found.

Anderson Park, the sandy Bay alcove at Bowen Craig and the seafront shelters have also been earmarked as problem areas being blighted by youths drinking and leaving behind litter.

Inspector Colin Convery, of Largs police, said: "The shelters have been raised as potential problem locations and are now subject to our summer action plan for extra attention and appropriate interventions."

Ian said he's now asking for the council's help to remedy the problem.

Ian added: “I have spoken to a councillor about getting bins or a sign at the foot of the road, but then I’m not sure how these would be emptied.

“This is part of the land owned by Stakis and so there’s not a lot the council can do to tackle the problem.

“The only way to resolve the problem would seem to be to try and educate people about the harmful effects and get the kids' parents involved in encouraging their children to tidy up after themselves.

“The idea of carrying out cleans like they do at the beach could be an idea but would be difficult because some of the rubbish is on steep slopes, so it’s a challenging environment.”