A NEW initiative has been launched that aims to put the brakes on littering motorists.

South Gloucestershire Council has teamed up with campaign group Keep Britain Tidy to tackle the problem of drivers chucking rubbish from their vehicles.

Around £1.6million of taxpayers’ money is spent on cleaning rubbish from the streets of South Gloucestershire every year and it is hoped this new month-long awareness drive will drastically reduce that figure.

Cllr Heather Goddard, executive member for communities, said: "Litter not only makes our towns and villages look unsightly, it can lead to the decline of an area resulting in more serious crime developing.

"Litter can also be harmful to wildlife and pets. In some cases we have to close roads in order to be able to remove litter safely and this is both expensive and causes disruption to road users.

"The message is quite simple - don’t drop litter. Other people find this behaviour unacceptable and will report you."

During the month-long campaign, posters will be put up in and around South Gloucestershire which remind motorists of their responsibilities.

People will also be asked to report incidents of littering from vehicles on the Keep Britain Tidy website, www.keepbritaintidy.org. This information will go on a database and will be used to analyse trends in littering from vehicles.

Offenders also face being caught by one of the council’s enviro-crime team, who will be out and about issuing fixed penalty notices to people who drop litter.

Other council officers, including dog wardens, parking attendants and environmental health staff, can also issue fixed penalty notices of £75 for littering, but the fine can be up to £2,500 if the case goes to court.