LITTERBUGS have been slammed for throwing takeaway rubbish out of their car outside a beautiful village church.

Nigel Dyson, chairman of Little Bentley Parish Council, has hit out at people fly-tipping or leaving food packaging in the Tendring countryside.

He said: “Some people, on Tuesday night, deposited their Mcdonald’s rubbish immediately outside St Marys Church in Little Bentley.

“They purchased this at a Mcdonald’s restaurant nearby at 8.47pm, we saw from the receipt left behind.

“They then drove to Little Bentley Church to eat it, where their car was seen just before 10pm, and then threw all there rubbish out of the car right in front of the church, which at the moment is an absolute picture with snowdrops all over the churchyard.

“Many visitors come and see the snowdrops every year, they don’t come to see the rubbish dropped by mindless people.

“It’s time these people should be prosecuted and fined and made an example of - maybe they could carry out community service, which should include rubbish collection.”

Michael Talbot, Tendring Council’s environment boss, said fly-tipping and littering is a national problem.

He said: “I was coming back from a meeting at Weeley on Tuesday and coming down on of the lanes to St Osyth I noticed a long pile of stuff that didn’t come from the boot of a car but the back of a lorry, dumped on the side of the road.

“They just don’t care. You can walk behind someone and they are munching something, then the packet goes on the floor, or they are finishing a takeaway and the packet goes on the ground.

“Would you do that in your sitting room?

“You wouldn’t, so don’t treat the area you live with no respect.”

Mr Talbot urged residents to report those seen fly-tipping to the council at recycle@tendringdc.gov.uk.