They claim the racecourse should be doing more to keep the area clean and tidy of mess following busy race days, and that the rubbish is a blight on the area.

However, the racecourse has said it often cleans up the area throughout the week.

Nick Smith, head of communications at Ascot Racecourse, said: “The Heath is checked twice a week in the winter and four times a week in summer and the tunnel is cleared daily. It’s very unfortunate that a small minority of users seem to be disrespecting the area.” Ascot resident Helen Palmer said people in the community are willing to step up and help, but that the racecourse should accept more responsibility for the amount of trash thrown over fences and left.

She said: “It’s a huge problem with it being a mess. It’s absolutely disgusting. [The racecourse] don’t seem to see why they should be responsible but they should be cleaning it up more.” “The public could take more responsibility. We could do a campaign and set up a friends of Ascot Racecourse group, but they didn’t seem too keen on the idea when I mentioned it to them on the phone.” Mrs Palmer said she and a number of other residents have called the racecourse to complain. They say food wrappers, beer bottles and even sanitary items are littering the ground — and that enough is enough.

Mrs Palmer said: “There are plenty of people who would come down at the weekend for a couple of hours and help clean up the area, but we’d like the support of the racecourse.” However, a Sunninghill and Ascot councillor, David Hilton, says not all the mess is a direct result of activity at the racecourse.

He said: “I haven’t had any complaints myself. I think that they keep the racecourse in pretty good condition, in pretty good nick. The mess is from young people there at night. It’s a bit of a nuisance really.

“I know the racecourse have been doing some work and that might be what people think is messy, but the racecourse deals with the mess well in my opinion.”