A company hired to clean up Merton has been left red-faced after mowing over a stretch of grass without removing any of the rubbish first.

A picture posted on the Moreton Green Friends Twitter page showed the aftermath.

A spokeswoman for Morden group laid the blame squarely on a lack of communication.

"A lot of the time it’s the people at the top who don’t know what the operatives are up against," she said.

"I can't fault the guys on the ground, as there just isn't enough staff.

"So now there are little shredded bits of rubbish everywhere."

Replying to the Twitter post, the Idverde UK account apologised.

"We're really sorry to hear that," it read.

"I've asked the local team to look into why this area wasn't litter picked prior to mowing and to ensure that this is done in future and the area left tidy.

"Further to our last tweet, I can confirm a team will be returning to the area to litter pick and return it to a tidy state.

"Please accept our apologies."

It is understood that there are separate teams in the company - which is contracted out by Merton Council - one to mow the grass and another to clean up the litter.

The spokeswoman for the Friends group confirmed Idverde did come and pick up the litter, piece by agonising piece, but reiterated that more should be done to make sure this doesn't happen in the future.

"It’s the management that needs to be held accountable," she said.

"There's also not enough people from Merton Council looking into the contracts and making sure everything is working well.

"Clearly there is just no communication."

Idverde have been approached for comment.

The Moreton Green Friends are hosting their next litter pick up on March 30. More details can be found here.