A top BBC correspondent has been accused of being a litter lout after he was filmed throwing wads of paper in the street.
BBC programme chiefs are under fire over the incident in which presenter Paul Mason was shown deliberately tossing a wad of fake banknotes off a London building.
The item on BBC 2 Newsnight saw its Economics Editor Paul Mason filmed throwing handfuls of Monopoly money into the air from a City of London office block.
In the high wind the shower of paper appeared to be blown long disances... and therfore impossible for the BBC to clean-up.
Mason used the footage to demonstrate the economic concept of "Quantitative Easing" - a money supply weapon that could be used by the Bank of England to combat the recession.
Cameras captured images of the storm of notes blown by the wind and fluttering into the streets of London to illustrate how the Bank could print more cash.
At the end of the item even studio presenter Kirsty Wark was taken aback and said; "That's just of litter!"
And now questions are being asked about why BBC chiefs allowed a presenter to commit - on camera - a criminal offence that carries a fine of up to £2,500.
The anti-litter campaign Stop the Drop slammed the footage.
Its spokesman Sam Harding said: "No one has the right to drop litter and there are fines for people caught doing it.
"The BBC does not have the right to flout these laws.
"If the intention was to demonstrate how our money is being squandered, Mr Mason could simply mention how litter costs over half a billion pounds a year to clean up.
"We hope the BBC was able to pay someone to clear up the resulting mess but there are clearly better ways for them to put their point across."
The piece featured a 90-second clip of Mason launching litter from a rooftop above the historic buildings in Threadneedle Street.
Explaining the remaining measures available to boost the economy Mason said: "There is one thing that has not been tried and that is Quantitative Easing.
"This sounds complicated but it comes down to this. You take money - real money not Monopoly - and you basically do this. (Throws litter into air)
"Quantitative easing means instead of markets lending the Government money, the Bank Of England lends it instead and it raises it by printing more.
"I understand the Treasury has begun modelling how quantitative easing might be done and in the spirit of public broadcasting we have done our own model.
"We couldn't afford real money - but you get the picture."
A spokesperson for Keep Britain Tidy said: "Litter breeds litter.
"Research shows that if an area is clean and litter free then many people will not drop their rubbish there, so for them to start throwing litter into the air could start the ball rolling.
"Levels of litter in this country are unsatisfactory and the BBC is just adding to the problem.
"People need to act responsibly in the disposal of their rubbish and that includes the BBC."
A spokesman for the BBC said Paul Mason's piece on Newsnight was about a serious news story and denied that it could encourage promote littering.
He said: "This was a news item about the serious money crisis that is impacting individuals and families up and down the country.
"We do not believe that the news item would promote litter.
"More generally we have an extensive environmental activity plan in place and take our responsibilities seriously.
"We try to reduce, re-use and recycle whenever possible."
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