People who throw rubbish out of their cars have been labelled “obnoxious” and “offensive” by a council leader.

Cllr Richard Millard took aim at those responsible for littering when questioned about the work of East Hampshire District Council’s street care contractor.

Earlier this month, crews from East Hampshire Norse cleared more than 800 black bags of litter from across 15 miles of verges on the A31.

The rubbish collected over five days weighed more than 2,060 kilograms.

At a recent council meeting, Cllr John Hutchinson, Liberal Democrat for Petersfield Causeway, said he had a “bee in my bonnet” about the state of major roads in the district.

He asked the leader of the council to maintain pressure on provider East Hampshire Norse to “honour their contract and clear our road verges”.

Cllr Hutchinson said they currently looked in a “very detrimental state”.

Conservative leader of the council Cllr Millard said he did not agree with the opposition member’s view on East Hampshire Norse.

He said their recent work on the A31, which took place while Hampshire County Council’s highways team carried out grass cutting, was an example of “extremely good service”.

Turning his focus to the litterers, Cllr Millard said: “If we didn’t have buffoons who decide, and that’s a polite word, to throw rubbish out of their cars and they had some common understanding and common manners and respect not only the natural environment, but also the individuals such as ourselves who drive along every day, then we wouldn’t have to be wasting taxpayers’ money, which could be spent on people who need it.

“I find it quite obnoxious that said individuals continue to do it.

“If I had every opportunity, I would take it that we enforce in whatever we can to get such individuals to stand up and recognise that they’re obnoxious, they’re offensive and they are not adding any benefit to society whatsoever in the way that they behave.”