A Kilmarnock councillor wants businesses to be forced to clean up their act to match the work of the council in improving the town.

SNP Councillor Clare Maitland pointed the finger at BT and Morrisons supermarket during a discussion on the work to rejuvenate the town, but said she wanted businesses in general to accept "civic corporate responsibility" for their property.

She said she was "optimistic" about the work being proposed by East Ayrshire Council and its partners.

However, she continued: "I'd just like to add something into the mix here. This is what we're doing as councillors in a council, but there are people making money out of our constituents and us in our town but take no responsibility whatsoever.

"I would like to see us going forward and have civic corporate responsibility.  I would like to see BT clean their graffiti up, I would like to see the clocks fixed in Morrisons.

"I know I'm naming here, but I don’t care. I'm sick of seeing cable ties and litter and debris and landscaping that is beyond poor and when you look further to the south, we have some beautiful gardens in our retail parks.

"So, I would like to propose that we tackle some of this using civic responsibility abilities."

The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted both BT and Morrisons for comment.

BT said they carry out regular inspections, but called on members of the public to report any issues to them.

A BT Group spokesperson said: "We thank Councillor Maitland for bringing this to our attention and are happy to investigate her concerns.

"We will contact her directly to better understand the issues in the local area.

"We regularly carry out inspections of our properties but would urge anyone who has concerns to report them to us by calling the BT Property Helpdesk."

You can report issues via the BT Property Helpdesk on 0800 223388.

For anyone who wants to report a damaged payphone or one in need of cleaning, they can call the helpline on 0800 661 610.