Litter lout smokers under fire

Wigan-based Keep Britain Tidy campaigners urged the cigarette industry to act to educate smokers on the impact of litter. The call comes as the charity releases a internet ad highlighting the problem of smoking litter.

Cigarette butts, matches, empty packets and their wrappers are England's biggest litter problem and are found on 78% of streets.

Only last week, two Wigan people were fined for dropping cigarette stubs in the street.

Keep Britain Tidy says smokers should not treat streets like a giant ashtray.

Phil Barton, Keep Britain Tidy chief executive, said: "The sheer size and scale of the cigarette litter problem is shameful and disgusting. Clearly many smokers have yet to be convinced that their cigarette stubs are litter and they seem happy to drop them everywhere.

"Cigarettes are litter – once dropped they are very difficult to clean up and blight the majority of the streets and roads in England. Smokers need to act responsibly, get a personal ashtray or use a bin.

"We have had early talks with cigarette manufacturers and hope to be able to work with them to tackle this major problem for our streets. Quick action is undoubtedly needed."

Keep Britain Tidy worked with production company MJZ and director Christopher Glass on the new cigarette litter ad.

Christopher, who is based in the US, was spurred into action following a visit to London which coincided with the smoking ban.

He said: "I was in London for a job and I noticed cigarette litter everywhere. It occurred to me that because cig butts are so small, they are not often perceived as being litter. When you see thousands of them strewn along the floor outside pubs it is a terrible sight.

"I imagined that if they were much larger they'd get in everyone's way. People would have to step through and over them so you couldn't ignore them."