In conjunction with the long Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays, thousands of foreign workers went sightseeing.

In the process, they also littered the city.

Some were even spotted spitting on five-foot paths, bus stations and even in shopping malls.

A survey by Bernama around Central Market and the Kota Raya Complex found the area not only crowded with foreigners but also strewn with rubbish - despite the availability of sufficient trash cans.

A local, Cheong Kok Thai, 67, who sells vegetarian food in Petaling Street, said during the festive season, it was the norm for foreigners to gather in the area.

He lamented that rubbish also began to accumulate because of the foreigners' littering habits.

"Although garbage lorries empty the rubbish bins and clean up the place, it is soon littered with rubbish again," he told Bernama here today.

Lum They, 72, a textile shop owner in Jalan Tun Perak said the foreigners not only littered the place but also spat wherever they wished.

"They appear to have no sense of hygiene," she said.

Meanwhile, K. Sharmella Rani, 27, expressed disappointed with the attitude of foreigners who damaged public property such as signboards, rubbish bins at bus stops and even bridges.

She noted that those areas infested with foreign nationals, like Petaling Street, Lebuh Pudu and Masjid Jamek, were in squalid conditions.

"For the sake of local communities, the government should take appropriate action and put a stop to such selfish acts by foreign workers who come here to earn a living, but damage public property," she said.