North West Leicestershire District Council is part of an awareness-raising campaign to stamp out littering.

'It's All Littering' has been launched by The Leicestershire Waste Partnership and is being supported by councils across the county.

On behalf of the partnership, Councillor Michael Wyatt, North West Leicestershire District Council's portfolio holder for community services said: "Littering is an issue for all of our communities, so we're joining forces to raise awareness of the many things that are littered across the county.

"We issue fines to people caught carelessly dropping litter, and are often told people didn't realise that their cigarette butt, or banana skin is litter.

"Our message to everyone is that, whether it's a dropped cigarette butt, an apple core thrown from your window or a plastic bottle left next to a bin, it's all littering."

Litter louts in the areas around Ashby de la Zouch and Coalville can face a £150 fixed penalty notice, which can lead to a fine of £2,500.

Around 30 million tonnes of litter are collected from Britain's streets each year – enough to fill four Wembley Stadiums.

While councils work to catch offenders and fine them, the county is also supported by networks of litter picking volunteers.

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Executive Member for Street Scene Services at Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, Cllr Lynda Hodgkins said: "A huge thanks to the volunteers who regularly give up their time to litter-pick.

"These community efforts make a huge difference and enable us all to enjoy a cleaner, greener borough. We all have a part to play in keeping our parks, open spaces and streets clean and free of litter.

"Litter is an eyesore and damaging to the environment and I would urge everyone to think twice before deciding to leave waste behind or dropping litter."

More information about the campaign can be found on the Leicestershire Waste Partnership website, include details of how littered items impact the environment.

Click HERE and following the campaign on social media using the hashtag #ItsAllLittering.

The Leicestershire Waste Partnership involves Blaby District Council, Charnwood Borough Council, Harborough District Council, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, Melton Borough Council, North West Leicestershire District Council, Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, Leicestershire County Council. Leicester City Council is also supporting the project.