PICTURES have emerged showing a sea of rubbish left behind by McDonald's customers at a Bolton beauty spot.

Drive-thrus across the country have now re-opened after 11 weeks of closure because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Queues have built up at restaurants over the last few days but images of mess left behind at Walker Fold car park on Thursday shows the scale of rubbish being left behind by some inconsiderate customers.

Cllr Kevin McKeon, the shadow environment cabinet minister for Bolton Council, condemned the litterers for taking valuable council resources away from the fight against Covid-19.

The councillor, who represents the Horwich North East ward, said: “It’s only a minority of people who litter but it ruins our countryside, harms our wildlife, and makes visitors think less of our wonderful sites.

“The council does its very best to maintain cleanliness throughout the borough, and it is particularly irresponsible at the moment because all the council resources are focused on the coronavirus outbreak.

“Those littering are leading to a weakening in this vital response.”

A picture of the litter was taken at the time at around 10am on Thursday, and the bins were overflowing with rubbish. The car park, which provides 60 spaces for visitors to Smithills Estate, has previously been praised for its cleanliness.

Cllr McKeon added: “I think littering is totally irresponsible and, to me, incomprehensible. Like most people I was brought up to take any litter that could not be disposed of back home and I don’t understand why this doesn’t happen.

“Obviously it’s really important that people get outside and get some relaxation, but in doing that they need to be mindful and respectful.”