Ananova:

A New Zealand city has hit back at John Cleese by unofficially renaming the local rubbish tip after him.

A sign, bearing the title Mt Cleese, has been placed at the Awapuni Landfill in Palmerston North, reports Sky News.

The action comes after a suggestion by a local comedian that it be renamed "John Cleese Memorial Tip," with the tag line: "All manner of crap happily recycled."

Cleese angered locals when he called Palmerston North the "suicide capital of New Zealand" during a show last year.

Council waste manager Chris Pepper said officials did not erect the sign and the renaming was not official.

But he said the council was in no hurry to remove the sign either.

"Somebody had the sign made up as a joke," he said. "Nobody has said... pull it down. People just smile."