CONCERNS have been raised about an ‘increase’ in litter on roads in Rawtenstall after the recent opening of a new McDonald’s restaurant.

The Haslingden Road drive-thru, was officially opened last week, and has brought 90 new jobs to the town.

It includes self-order kiosks and table service and is being operated by franchisees Victor Arciniega and Karen Arciniega, who already run restaurants in Burnley and Colne.

Plans to open the restaurant were approved last July, despite more than 30 letters of objection, highlighting issues including extra litter.

The fast-food giant had pledged to carry out litter patrols regularly every day when the store opened.

But residents said they have already noticed takeaway rubbish appearing in the surrounding area in the days since the opening of the store.

Chris Blomerley, chair of Civic Pride Rossendale, which organises litter picks, said he had seen a 'tide of McDonald’s rubbish' around the store over the weekend.

He said: “We were the ones who spoke and objected during the planning process, with our main grounds being an increase in litter.

“It’s exactly as I predicted, as I saw a tide of rubbish near the store on Haslingden Road, and on Haslingden Old Road, Burnley Road, Bacup Road and at the nearby bus station.

“I saw burger wrappers and fries cartons from McDonald’s which people have dumped.

“We do need to be careful as it’s not just rubbish from McDonald’s, but the problem is that litter from there is disposable.

“We are hoping to meet with staff from the store next week to discuss this.”

Cllr Steve Hughes, who represents the Longholme ward on Rossendale Council, said: “I’ve seen a couple of reports of extra litter caused by the store on the social media.

“This is always an issue and problem when new McDonald’s restaurants come in and I hope we can work with them, Civic Pride and the council to address this.”

A McDonald’s spokesperson said staff installed bins, CCTV and signage before the restaurant’s opening last week to discourage littering.

The spokesperson said: “Before opening last week, our Haslingden Road restaurant team installed 10 external bins within the restaurant grounds and CCTV cameras on the exterior of the building to discourage littering. We have also put up additional signage around the restaurant to encourage our customers to appropriately dispose of their litter. In addition, the restaurant team carry out four litter patrols a day in and around the area picking up all litter, not just McDonald’s packaging. We take our commitment to being a good neighbour very seriously, and will continue to work alongside the local community to tackle the issue.”