McDonald's bosses will be held to account if the opening of a new drive-thru leads to a spike in littering and traffic gridlock, councillors warn.

The fast-food giant is set to open a new restaurant in Folkestone - the town's third - in the coming weeks once work on the two-storey premises in the Tesco car park in Cheriton is complete.

The new location, close to the M20 and the Channel Tunnel, faced bitter opposition from members of Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) during the planning stage.

There were fears over the impact of increased littering and more traffic on local roads, since the site has to be accessed via the existing supermarket car park.

Although councillors threw out the plans, this decision was later overruled by the Planning Inspectorate and the Cheriton High Street drive-thru was given the go-ahead.

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Green Party ward councillor Rebecca Shoob says she is determined to hold the fast-food giant to account when it opens in the neighbourhood.

"I'll be speaking to local residents and keeping a close eye on traffic and litter levels once the drive-thru opens," she told KentOnline.

"I sincerely hope the impact on local residents is as minimal as McDonald's have promised.

"However, residents have legitimate concerns about a drive-thru on the doorstep and if we do see increases in litter and traffic problems as a result, I will be raising these with the council and the operator."

McDonald's has not yet confirmed an opening date for the new restaurant, which has swiftly taken shape in the last few weeks.

At the planning stage, the firm committed to carrying out litter-picks in the surrounding area three times a day to reduce any negative impact on the local community.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Tim Prater says his group on FHDC, which includes Cheriton ward member Peter Gane, will also be monitoring the new restaurant closely once it opens to the public.

He said: "I know Peter will be absolutely watching the new development for the impact on litter, traffic, and queuing to access the Tesco/McDonald's parking.

"We will also be watching for the increased use of the lights at Cheriton Interchange which should never have been installed without pedestrian crossing lights.

"Peter has raised these lights to Kent County Council repeatedly already as dangerous to use for pedestrians, and they will become even more so as more people will use them to get to McDonald's.

"I know he was disappointed the government inspector allowed the development on appeal after local councillors listening to local residents refused the development."