A KFC drive through has been given permission to open until 2am, despite fears over boy racers and litter.

The restaurant itself in Nunnery Way will close at 11pm to dine-in and takeaway customers but the drive through will stay open later and a side entrance will be open to delivery drivers.

Members of a city council licensing sub-committee approved an application for “late night refreshment” at the Guildhall on Thursday (September 5).

Neighbours had objected to the plans over concerns that anti-social behaviour, noise pollution and littering in the area would get even worse.

Solicitor Joe Harvey, representing KFC, told councillors: “Residents’ objections are justified and need to be respected.

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“It would be easy to say the takeaway is on a small retail park on a dual carriageway so won’t affect anyone - that would be a foolish way to look at it.”

He said litterpicks are undertaken by KFC staff everyday in the area around the restaurant and more thorough clean-ups take place once a week.

“Once a month we send colleagues down the A4440 picking up litter irrespective of its origin - if it’s a McDonald’s wrapper it gets picked up and put in our bags. We take this matter seriously.”

Mr Harvey said staff have also been proactive in trying to discourage boy racers from meeting in the car park and have made calls to the police, but added that there have been “only a handful” of incidents in the past couple of years.

“We want our neighbours to be our customers as well - the last thing we want to do is agitate them,” he said.

“With boy racers, the reality does not reflect the fear. But the fear is genuine.”

Mr Harvey said that as the KFC branch shares its car park with a pub and is opposite a 24-hour petrol station, people will use the car park whether the takeaway is open or not.

KFC managers said they expected between 10 and 12 cars an hour to use the takeaway between 11pm and 2am.

They also pledged to install new bins outside the restaurant and to send staff out on more litter picks in the wider Warndon area, adding that they were happy to take feedback on where to go.