DON’T be lazy with litter – that’s the message North Herts District Council is trying to get across to residents.

It is urging them to help keep their communities clean at a series of anti-litter road shows.

The council’s North Herts - Let’s keep it tidy! events are being held today (Thursday) in Leys Square, Letchworth GC and on Saturday in Market Place, Hitchin.

It is hoped that the road shows will help to spread the message that tossing rubbish out of cars, dropping cigarette butts, discarding gum and dumping waste is not acceptable.

Every year it costs the council almost �1 million to clear up the streets of North Herts which includes picking up after people who can’t be bothered to put their rubbish in litter bins.

Cllr Peter Burt, portfolio holder for waste, recycling and the environment, said: “We know it is a minority of people who drop litter but we hope that the Let’s keep it tidy road shows will make them stop and think.

“Litter negatively impacts on the look and feel of our district and the environment, and costs a huge amount of council taxpayers’ money to clean it up.”

To try to tackle the amount of litter that is dropped on the streets of North Herts, the council together with Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation will soon be installing on-street recycling bins for paper and cans in Letchworth GC.

Also soon to become available are lamppost or wall-mounted bins for chewing gum and cigarette butt disposal. This will be part funded by the Herts Waste Partnership.