A POSTER of a knife-wielding zombie displayed in a McDonald's caused outrage after a series of violent crimes in the local area.

The fast-food restaurant apologised and took the Halloween decoration down from the windows of its branch in Netherfield, Notts.

The gruesome image shows the silhouette of a zombie holding a large hunting knife dripping with blood.

It was displayed in the restaurant window next to another poster of a pair of hands agonisingly reaching upwards.

A spokesperson for McDonald's told the Sun Online: "The decorations were not intended to cause offence, and we're sorry if any has been caused.

"We have now removed these from the restaurant."

Nottingham has recently seen a rising tide of violent crime across the city.

A teenager was arrested after a 21-year-old man suffered life-threatening stab wounds to his leg on Monday.

And cops also rounded up three men aged between 18-25 on suspicion of murder after a man was killed in a horrific car crash at Forest Park and Ride.

Last year, a student at Nottingham University had to undergo 20 different operations after he was brutally stabbed after a night out last Halloween.

McDonald's was also in the news recently after they increased the price of Happy Meals in the US, thereby ditching the kids' option from its budget menu.

One enraged customer tweeted: "Noooooooo! Budum bup ba bah. I'm hatin it."