Our nationwide campaign to clean up Britain has been launched on Wimbledon Common.
JB Gill, former member of superstar pop group JLS, was on hand to unveil Don’t Trash Our Future spearheaded by InYourArea.co.uk and our nationwide network of sister newspapers and websites.
A passionate advocate for education and the countryside, he said: “It’s great to see that people recognise that litter is a public health concern and a major problem.
"The only way to stop the damage being done to our health, nature and wildlife is to sign the Don’t Trash our Future petition, object to local councils not enforcing fines and demand a higher penalty for those dropping litter.”
The campaign has two aims:
To increase the maximum punishment for littering to a £1,000 fine or 100 hours of supervised community litter picking
To make it compulsory for local authorities to enforce the law on littering
We are urging you to sign our petition with the aim of reaching 100,000 signatures so we can lobby the Government to change the legislation and shed the country of its long-held reputation as a litter-plagued nation.
We’re also calling on councils to flex their muscles in the fight against rubbish and make far better use of the powers they already have available.
John Read, founder of Clean Up Britain, said: "Clean Up Britain is very excited to be running the Don't Trash Our Future campaign with InYourArea.co.uk
“We know from the countless people who contact us that there is a huge desire - from people all over the country - to try and solve the litter epidemic.
“We are all so fortunate to live in a beautiful country, but equally, it's so depressing to see so many people littering it.
“This has to stop, as it shames Britain. There has to be zero tolerance towards littering.
“Littering is symptomatic of a lack of pride in our local communities, and a lack of respect for other people and the environment generally.
“This campaign is about challenging and reversing these negative sentiments, and saying enough is enough.
“Let's be grateful for what we have, take care of our country and, above all, 'Don't Trash Our Future'.”
