North West Leicestershire District Council has issued a warning about how expensive dropping litter can be.

The council has for some time been making local residents aware of how serious a problem it is.

But now it is driving home the message by letting people know the consequences.

The council says that a failure by a local 'litterbug' to pay a fixed penalty of £150, saw that fine increased to £1,118.

A social media post said: "It's true, we can't be everywhere, but our enforcement team does regular litter patrols, and if they spot littering, they will take action and it could cost!

"On Monday, January 29, Leicester Magistrates Court ordered a litterbug who had not paid a fixed penalty notice to pay £1,118 in fines and costs.

"This person was seen by our litter patrol dropping a drinks can and was given the fixed penalty notice. If this had been paid it would have been £150.

"If you have information about littering offences, you can report this on our website or email [email protected]

"We will always take action if we can. Littering is a blight on our district and we have a fantastic army of litter pickers who help us keep it tidy. But wouldn't it be great if the litter wasn't there in the first place?"