Litter overflowed from bins over the busy May Day Bank Holiday weekend, prompting the message from councillors and residents to ‘take it home’.

Photos taken on the beach and in parks show rubbish spilling onto the ground.

On Brighton beach, photos show hoards of bags, food containers, bottles and cans stacked around bins, which are full to the brim.

In Preston Park in Brighton, plastic and other debris was scattered on the grass.

Vivienne de Saxe-Hayes, a Patcham resident, said: “I was at our monthly Brighton Sausage Meet in Preston Park for Dachshund owners.

“It was 12.15pm and there was rubbish strewn across a wide area, which must have been from the day before.

“The dogs were getting into it so we had to move right away from the clock tower.

“I find it utterly appalling, there were chairs, plates and all sorts there.

“People brought it all with them, so they should take it home with them.”

An estimated 300,000 people came to the city over the weekend to enjoy Brighton and Hove’s beaches and parks in the sun.

Councillor Gill Mitchell, chairwoman of the city’s environment, transport and sustainability committee, said: “This weekend saw an unprecedented amount of visitors and an unprecedented amount of waste.

“A lot of the smaller bins on the seafront got full very quickly and our teams did try to empty them as soon as possible.”

Brighton and Hove City Council received complaints about overflowing bins over the weekend.

Cllr Mitchell said: “If a bin is full, we would ask people to find another one – there are lots of big black bins on the promenade – or take their rubbish home with them.

“Leaving it on the beach or beside an overflowing bin is not acceptable. It’s everyone’s responsibility to keep our city clean.”

Mrs de Saxe-Hayes said: “We need to pull together and keep Brighton litter-free.

“We are all so aware of plastic rubbish now, something needs to be done to tackle this.

“It would help if the council placed more big bins around the park on nice weekends like this.”

The council’s teams collected around 20 tonnes of waste from the city’s beaches.

Cllr Mitchell added: “We will be using extra staff resources by the end of May and beginning of June which will help with litter picking and street cleaning.”