Marlogue Woods in Cork was left trashed by campers at the weekend, with camping gear, beer cans and other litter left discarded along the woodland.

The woods, which is located on Great Island is a popular amenity, particularly amongst locals living in the nearby town of Cobh.

Speaking to The Echo, Hendrick Verwey, Chair of the Cobh Tidy Towns group said wanton littering does happen at the woods every now and then.

"It does happen occasionally which is a terrible shame.

"It has been cleaned up since, but that's beside the point.

"It's a great amenity and people need to respect it," Mr Verwey said. 

Cork County Councillor Cathal Rassmussen said the issue is caused by a small minority of people.

"Young people tend to go down there and camp overnight.

"It's very unfortunate when littering does happen there because most people do take their rubbish home with them."

Meanwhile, Green Party Councillor Alan O'Connor pointed to the rise in littering in the county as a whole in recent times and called for people to take responsibility. 

"I'm not aware that this kind of anti-social behaviour is recurring in Marlogue Woods, but littering events of this kind, you might call it tents and tins, seem to have had a bit of a resurgence in the county as a whole recently, including Inch Beach and White Bay in East Cork. 

"As much as anything it's simply disheartening to think that there are still people who feel they can act so selfishly in treating their environment this way. 

"I don't think it's a case of needing to raise awareness either. 

"'Take your rubbish home' is a fairly simple message, as is the principle of leave no trace," he said. 

The historic Marlogue Woods originally carried old oak stands that were felled during World War I. 

Old Ordnance Survey maps refer to the wood as Walterstown Wood, dating back to when the area was part of the Smith-Barry estate.