ANGRY residents claim an unsightly pile of rubbish is turning a popular tourist area into a "grubby building site".

Millions of tourists visit the centre of Greenwich every year to look round the Royal Observatory and see the Cutty Sark.

But visitors to the town are currently encountering a far less pleasant sight a pile of bricks and rubble left over from building works in Cutty Sark Gardens.

Greenwich residents say this is creating an "unacceptable eyesore" and are urging the council to get it cleared.

Barry Mason, who is a member of Greenwich Cyclists, regularly cycles through the town centre and says the rubble has been visible for "at least eight months".

He said: "This area is the jewel in Greenwich's crown but it's being ruined by a horrible pile of rubbish.

"At the moment it just looks like a dirty, grubby building site. It is unacceptable."

The centre of Greenwich was made a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1997, to reflect its rich maritime history.

This is supposed to ensure the appearance of the area and its historic buildings are preserved for visitors and future generations.

Mr Mason, 45, a housing association marketing manager, added: "World Heritage status means Greenwich is on a par with the Taj Mahal and the Tower of London.

"Could you imagine this sort of thing happening there?"

Tourism boosts the area's economy by £327m a year, with six million people visiting the town last year.

Resident Mark Pittman, of Vanbrugh Hill, Greenwich, said: "I go running down there and it's a mess.

"If tourists see things like this they will not keep coming here, will they?"

A Greenwich Council spokesman says the rubble is from an old wall which is being knocked down at the request of the Environment Agency.

Work on a new wall should be finished by Easter next year.