THE franchisee of Galashiels’ McDonald’s says he is “on a mission” to engage with the community this summer.

Graham Angus, who runs the restaurant at Wilderhaugh, attended the town’s community council meeting last week.

He said he was keen to work with local stakeholders and charities in the coming months.

Mr Angus said: “Ninety per cent of the stores in the UK are run by franchisees.

“We try to give something back in our communities. I am am here today to listen and if there are any concerns I can try to mitigate those issues.”

Members of the public said the amount of discarded food packaging and containers near the fast food eatery was a problem for the town.

Mr Angus said: “Because of food safety regulations, every item has to have some packaging.

“They are busy trialling different things in Europe. In France, for example, they are using plastic dishes and cups which can be re-used.

“We are very restricted in what we can do with our products, but we do try [to reduce the amount of discarded litter].

“Everybody at the store is local and we are trying to engage with people. We also try our best to do as many litter picks as possible.”

Mr Angus also confirmed the store would close for a period next year while renovation works take place.

He added: “When you walk in, you will see a new store. We are hoping to make it better for our customers.”