LONDON (AFP) - Britons are up in arms over new environmentally friendly teabags that leave a bitter taste in the mouth as they split open, spilling their contents into teacups across the land.

Yorkshire Tea, the country's second biggest brand after PG Tips, launched the new biodegradable teabags in June and has now been forced to respond to a barrage of complaints.

"Has anyone else noticed that Yorkshire Tea bags are quite burst-able at the moment?" one disgruntled user, BBC radio 3 presenter Elizabeth Alker, said on Twitter.

BT Sport football commentator Darren Fletcher wrote that the Yorkshire Tea bags were "shambolic".

"Things may never be the same again!" he said.

The new bags, which no longer rely on plastic to stay sealed, are splitting when dunked in hot water.

"Hi @YorkshireTea this is the 10th teabag to split from this box. I don't like drinking the leaves," wrote Bill Fyfe, posting a photo of his cup with floating leaves.

The Daily Mail said Yorkshire Tea was "in a pot of bother".

The famous brand, which is planning to sell only biodegradable teabags from 2019, apologised to customers and said it was doing everything to resolve the problem.

"We're sorry about this!" the company said this week.

"It's early days so we're really keen to hear feedback - and we promise we'll make it up to you," it said.

Some 160 millions cups of tea are consumed every day in Britain and floating tea leaves are a major no-no.