FURIOUS villagers have hit out at litter louts dumping food waste at a beauty spot.

Drivers have been accused of leaving food and drink wrappers strewn across the sides of the road in Great Horkesley.

The village is located on the edge of the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

One resident says he "can't understand" why people were dumping the litter and has called on Colchester Council to do more.

He said: "I find in this area it is a regular occurrence that drivers dump their food and drink containers out of the window.

"As it is an area of outstanding beauty I think it only right to pick said debris up, which I do almost on a daily basis.

"On occasion it is so bad, for example in Tog Lane where there is frequent fly-tipping, that I report it to the council."

After discovering a KFC wrapper and receipt in Boxted Church Road he decided enough was enough and took matters into his own hands.

He said: "By coincidence the litterbug had also discarded the receipt for the food.

"Needless today it is frustrating to be constantly picking up crisp packets, beer bottles, chocolate wrappers and the like and having no idea who is doing it - so having a potential link like a receipt posed a great opportunity."

Armed with the date and time the purchase had been made he contacted KFC.

The firm agreed to help saying they could release CCTV to Colchester Council if it wished to pursue action.

But three weeks on he said he had yet to hear if Colchester Council intended to take the matter further.

He said it sent the wrong message to drivers about discarding their litter.

"I simply cannot understand why someone would want to dump a load of paper and plastic and bottles of pee out of the window in a beautiful country lane," he added.

In neighbouring district Braintree the council has worked with KFC and McDonalds to place banners at the drive-through restaurants, and stickers on take-away packaging.

The villager has suggested Colchester should do the same thing.

A spokesman for Colchester Borough Council said: “We are currently in discussion with KFC to identify those responsible for one of the recent littering incidents in the area, with a view to taking further enforcement action.

“By highlighting this case, we remind the minority of people who think littering is acceptable, that it is not.

"Litter is a blight on our communities and our Zone Wardens will continue to work hard to enforce against it while carrying out their duties across the borough.”