TOWN centre streets could become rat-ridden disaster areas strewn with rubbish unless there is action to curb litter louts, a green pressure group have warned.

A rise in the amount of dumped bottles and discarded takeaway trash has left councils spending record sums on cleaning up. Keep Britain Tidy said the rise in litter will result in an explosion in the country's rat population if preventive steps are not taken.

Alan Woods, chief executive, said: "Go into any one of our cities on a Sunday morning and you'll find a small army of cleaners wading through a tide of half eaten burgers and broken glass. By dawn they've somehow made the streets look passable, but soon even their hard graft won't be enough."

Mr Woods said he wanted businesses that profit from increased opening hours to contribute to extra cleaning, as happens in American cities such as Washington, New York and Philadelphia.

He also wants take-away out-lets to sign up to a new "food on the go" charter, promising to curb the amounts of litter-ing that the premises produce.

However, Mike Pollit, owner of The Chippy in Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth, disagrees with Keep Britain Tidy and its claims.

He hires someone to pick up any litter within a 100-yard radius of his shop and believes that his efforts are enough. He said: "I do my own bit, what are business rates for? We pay the council to do that, why should we pay more." He also describes the proposed "food on the go charter" as very unnecessary.

Georgia Smith, spokesperson for Bournemouth Borough Council, said: "People must start to take responsibility for their litter. We urge people to stop being so lazy and help to ease the squeeze on street litter and on the cost of cleaning it up."

Cllr Don Collier, portfolio holder for the environment at Poole Borough Council, said: "The budget for street cleansing for Poole in 2005/06 is £1.68m. We have increased our resources dedicated to Poole town centre, along with the rest of the borough, and I believe this has shown in the standard of cleanliness in the area."

Keep Britain Tidy now plans to issue a series of posters aiming a cheeky message at teenagers, placing them in concert venues and on toilet walls in fun pubs and clubs.

First published: May 13