A school girl bit a police officer on his back during a mini riot sparked by a row over litter, a court heard today.

Two men are alleged to have kicked and punched another police officer during the incident which happened in North End on July 16 last year.

Wayne Elliston, 34, Harold Lloyd Hill, 38, and a 15-year-old girl pleaded not guilty to a charge of violent disorder.

The mini riot began when PC Antony Smith and PC Perry Lathwood asked a teenage girl to pick up a burger wrapping she had thrown on the ground.

She was sitting on a bench outside Burger King with four or five friends aged between 14 and 15 at about 3pm.

The jury at Croydon Crown Court heard the girl initially picked up the wrapping but threw it on the floor again as soon as the two PCs began to walk away.

They asked her to pick it up again.

PC Smith told the jury this morning: “She was going to pick up the litter but her friends started to become abusive.

“She was sitting on someone’s lap and the girl seemed to be holding her back from picking up the litter.”

He and PC Lathwood tried to separate the litterbug from her friend, the 15-year-old accused.

She became violent and pulled PC Lathwood towards the bench by his protective vest, the court was told.

PC Smith tried to go and help his colleague but people began jumping on his back and a crowd started to gather.

He told the jury: “All I could see was her arms flailing and swinging wildly infront of him.

“PC Lathwood was struggling to calm her down.

“He was shouting out she had bitten him.”

He told the jury he went over and tried to arrest her but the crowd behind him dragged him to the ground.

“People were kicking my back and punching me, I had been dragged to the ground, I could not see anything. I had someone’s arm around my throat.”

He managed to get off the floor.

PC Smith said he lost his hat and radio in the struggle.

The jury heard PC Lathwood sprayed CS gas at the girl after she walked back towards him and PC Smith was able to arrest her as back up began to arrive.

Martin Goudie, prosecuting, told the jury witnesses estimated there were between 40 and 100 people in the crowd.

The prosecution allege two of those people were Wayne Elliston and Harold Hill who, they say, attacked and threatened the police officers.

The jury were shown CCTV of the incident in which two men the Crown identifies as Mr Elliston and Mr Hill can be seen following the police officers around the scene.

The trial continues.