TWO councillors have branded Christmas litter-louts as ‘selfish’ after a back alley was left strewn with rubbish.

Burnley Labour councillor Mark Townsend had complained to Burnley Council about a spate of fly-tipping at the rear of Lyndhurst Road and Brockenhurst Street in the town.

On December 23, he received a reply from the council’s street cleaning contingent, telling him the case had been resolved.

However, the mess got considerably worse over Christmas, and due to council staff’s Christmas break, bins and rubbish aren’t due to be collected again until the New Year.

Cllr Townsend took to Facebook to vent his frustrations, saying the council’s response was ‘unacceptable’.

He said: “Burnley Council Streetscene usually do a great job cleaning up after anti-social residents. Unfortunately they have let themselves down badly on this occasion.

“There’ll be no Christmas cheer for residents who will be left with this mess until the New Year.

“It’s unacceptable from anti-social residents in the area and an unacceptable response from the Council.”

Cllr Lian Pate said: “This mess will be caused by a minority that have made the rest suffer by having the back street strewn all Christmas.

“It’s one or two houses on a street of many, but notice how it ends up strewn outside the many as well. Very selfish way to carry on.”

Environment boss at Burnley council, Cllr Cosima Towneley said: “Unfortunately it’s not always the council’s fault that these things happen and both Cllr Townsend and Cllr Pate know there is a skeleton staff operating over the Christmas period.

“We have been doing everything we can over the last year to keep Burnley clean, and the Streetscene staff do a great job but sadly, it’s not the council’s fault if people can’t keep their homes and streets tidy.

“There needs to be a change in behaviour from residents, not from the council and we need to work together to try and achieve this.