FRUSTRATED with how filthy Gravesend railway station is, conservation campaigners have taken the law into their own hands to get it cleaned up.

Instead of sending a red rose and love letter today, members from Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) wrote to Network Rail, threatening to get a Litter Abatement Order issued against them if the state of the station does not improve.

If no action is taken within five days of receiving the letter, CPRE can go to court and get the order enforced against Network Rail, which will compel them to keep Gravesend station free of litter.

A spokesman for CPRE said: “The approach to Gravesend station is very littered and we thought this was the perfect example of where to deliver an abatement notice.

“The charity has received half a dozen emails in support of choosing Gravesend as one of the stations.”

A Network Rail spokesperson told News Shopper litter would be removed within 20 days of receiving the order.

He added: "We appreciate the concerns of CPRE, but we are surprised by their plans to encourage litter abatement notices to be served upon us.

"Our dedicated maintenance teams regularly remove litter as part of their day to day responsibilities and we work closely with our contractors and projects to keep the areas in which they are working free of litter.

“As well as joining us in support of the new Love Where You Live Campaign and following our meeting with CPRE in the summer of last year, we asked to speak to them again but the CPRE has not given us a date."

Have you experienced litter at Gravesend station? If so, contact the newsroom on 01689 88 5702.