GREEDY civil servants were caught red handed trying to buy Five Guys burgers on the taxpayer-funded government credit card.

But their transaction was blocked after the government froze 20,000 procurement cards in a crackdown on Whitehall waste.

The two women were spotted trying to buy the posh burgers by a government insider on Thursday night in Kings Cross, north London.

They tried to pay for their food  with a government procurement card, which re black and have the government crest.

Then a message flashed up on the till showing it was declined.

A government insider, who noticed the issue, remarked: “There have been complaints about avaricious civil servants, but indulging in gourmet burgers funded by taxpayers elevates it to a whole new level.”

“We froze government procurement cards to stop waste like this.

“Labour will never play fast and loose with taxpayers money.”

Last month, the Cabinet Office halted the use of procurement cards. Ministers grew concerned after realizing the expenditures on these cards had surged by 400 percent within just four years.

Only a small number of cards used by diplomats or government workers  in war-zones and hostile countries will be exempt from the freeze.

The maximum spend for hospitality is also being be cut from £2,500 to £500.

It is part of Downing Street’s efforts to slash civil service waste and excessive spending.