A mayor says she is so incensed with litter bugs blighting her town's streets with rubbish that she feels like picking up the mess and dumping it in their homes.

Chrissie Curry says "enough is enough" and is launching a campaign in her mayoral role to clear up Witney town centre.

She said those who failed to bin their litter should feel ashamed of themselves - and is pleading with fastfood outlets, parents, children and all the town's residents to help eradicate the problem.

Ms Curry has spoken out after contractors working for the town council reported a rise in the problem over the past few weeks.

The Leys and Church Green had been particularly badly affected and Ms Curry said thousands of pounds was being spent clearing up the mess.

Over the past few weeks, it has taken up to three litter-pickers, employed by the town council, two hours every day just to clear up The Leys. Workers collected 10 refuse sacks of rubbish on one morning alone.

Ms Curry said: "I went along to the council yard after that collection and, only just after the clear-up was finished, bottles and empty cans were being left back on The Leys. It is totally unacceptable and it has got to stop. I saw a mother and father with a child and toddler on the Buttercross the other day eating from chip wrappers and cans, and the mum told her daughter to just leave the rubbish there.

"When I said "excuse me, put it in a bin" I faced a barrage of verbal abuse from the parents.

"Witney is a lovely town, but this type of behaviour will ruin it. I feel like following people who drop litter and dumping it in their homes - they wouldn't do it there, so why litter our streets?"

Both Ms Curry and Janine Howells, the town council's amenities manager, appealed for people to bin their rubbish.

Miss Howells could not put a figure on litter-picking costs as the service was part of the overall council grounds maintenance budget, but confirmed it was a major burden and drain on council funding, which she said could be better spent elsewhere.

She said: "The owner of the cleansing company we use to tidy up the mess is from Gloucestershire and he says he despairs when he comes to Witney because there's so much litter.

"We don't know why it's a problem, but it just seems to be that people think they can leave their litter behind wherever they go. Many people don't realise there's such a problem because the contractors start work early, so the rubbish is cleared up - but it's definitely there."

The town council is responsible for clearing up parks and some public areas, such as Witney Lake and nature area and Wood Green, while the district council deals with Church Green, public streets and fly-tipping problems.

The district council said littering was an offence, for which people could be issued £50 fixed penalty fines, and urged people to report problems.

Ms Curry said she appreciated litter problems may have got worse because of the school summer holidays, but she said there was "no excuse".

She said: "People are concerned about where their council tax goes. The answer is some of it - and a large proportion of the money the town council gets - goes to this, cleaning up after people. It's really quite disgraceful when you think about it."

Mother-of-two Judith Baker, enjoying a picnic with her two sons, Charlie and Jake, on Church Green, said: "The workmen obviously do a good job because I didn't realise there was such a problem, I suppose people just think someone else will pick it up."

Pensioner Harold Edwards, from Freeland, said: "Those that cause the problem should be penalised in some way - that would make them think twice."

To report problems, call the town council on 01993 704370 or district council's Street Scene team on 01993 861020.