Kingston Green party candidate Si Jakeman has hit upon a novel and environmentally friendly idea to get his message out – by placing green gnomes across his prospective North Chessington and Hook ward.

Mr Jakeman, a firefighter at Surbiton fire station, explained on his Twitter account the stunt was “A campaign for the little people 2 be noticed, just planting a Green seed in people's minds”.

The party has campaigned on air pollution and what it sees as overdevelopment of the town centre.

Campaign coordinator and Beverley ward candidate Chris Walker said he thought there was not “a coherent plan for what Kingston could look like in the future.”

He added: “We have been doing a lot of campaigning in [Grove and Canbury wards] rather than spreading ourselves thin.

“Having a fresh voice on [the council] would really help scrutinise what they have been doing. People are just fed up with a lot of them.

“I think we’re on the verge of having a breakthrough. We’re getting a lot of young people, especially in Grove.”

The party's 22 candidates hope voters unimpressed by the performance of Lib Dem and Tory councillors will defect to them.

The Greens share common ground with UKIP in opposing the “regressive” bedroom tax – a payment taken from social housing tenants if they are deemed to have an extra bedroom.

While admitting the tax is a national policy, Mr Walker said the party has “to start somewhere” in opposing it and has included the issue in its campaign.

He added: “Some things are so bad that you get cross-party support.”