Litter costs taxpayers £850m a year

Keep Britain Tidy said cash-strapped local councils spent a record amount last year clearing up two million pieces of carelessly discarded rubbish a day, ranging from cigarettes butts to burger wrappers.

In just 12 months, the bill for cleaning England's streets, verges and parks rose by 10 per cent, according to figures released by Keep Brtain Tidy. Local councils' spending on litter rose by £78million last year.

According to Keep Britain Tidy chief executive Phil Barton: 'It is time for everyone in this country to clean up their act. A change in everyone's behaviour will save money but it will also make this country a cleaner, greener and better place to live.'

Taxpayers spend around £150million a year removing chewing gum from pavements. Around 9,000 tons of gum is thrown away each year, with 80 per cent thought to end up on the ground. Some campaigners have called for a tax on packets of gum to pay for the labour-intensive cleaning of pavements.

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