Fed-up residents living near a posh beauty spot say their lawns and pavements are being ruined by geese droppings.

Homeowners say the birds have been straying from Maiden Erlegh Nature Reserve in upmarket Earley, Berks., and onto nearby estates where the average house price is £700,000.

Town councillors were told Canada Geese nesting on the reserve may be trying to avoid an aggressive new pair of wild swans who attack adult birds.

And it has coincided with a sharp rise in the number of geese flocking to the site in the summer months, sparking fears of mass droppings again this year.

Now residents are calling for the pavements - which they claim pose a health hazard - to be more cleaned more regularly.

Steve Feltham, secretary of a local residents association, said: "I have never seen anything as bad as what happened last year.

“Lawns are inundated, but when we cut our lawns, it goes down a bit and we can protect our lawns with some string tied to a couple of posts.

"It’s the pavements that’s the issue. You have to dodge it to walk past it without standing in it."

Mr Feltham, who raised concerns at a recent town council meeting, said he fears the droppings could pose a health risk to children playing outside.

He said the geese has previously strayed as far as Lakeside, the street next to the reserve.

But last summer, they were spotted further away from the reserve and were nesting in wooded areas of residential streets.

And there are fears they may return in bigger numbers this summer and leave more mess, prompting calls for authorities to do more to deter them nesting in residential areas.

Mr Feltham added: "We're not asking for anything to be done about the actual geese, they are really cute and we all enjoy living near a nature reserve.

"But they are quite prolific, you have to dodge the droppings, that's the issue. We're asking if they can reduce the number of sites available for nesting and foraging.

"Last year, we had a rise in goslings being led around the estate by their parents.

"They're really cute but as they grow up, they create an awful mess and have been leaving droppings all over lawns and pathways.

"It can be a danger to children and the elderly. We've had a lot of complaints from our residents asking what we can do about it.

"All we're asking for is for the pavements to be cleaned on a regular basis in the summer months.

"It used to be only Lakeside, they've now gone onto the more residential roads.

"We've always had Canada Geese, Egyptian Geese and they've always been very welcome.

"But over the last few years, the number of Canada Geese has been something else and we've never had as many as we had last year."

Mr Feltham said the council agreed to seek expert advice on how to deal with the goose droppings at a meeting earlier this month.

In the meantime, residents have been urged to put up temporary fences along their lawns and discouraged from feeding the geese.

Earley Town Council has been approached for comment.