THERE’S plenty of back-slapping going on at the council as it congratulates itself on a successful anti-litter bliz in the town.

It boasts that fines have dropped by 80 per cent thanks to its anti-littering drive and it only had to issue 10 fixed penalty notices in the two-week campaign, a drop from 58 last year.

So out of a population of more than 200,000 only 10 people got a fixed penalty notice for chucking litter. Wow, that’s remarkable, what a truly amazing bunch we are.

Or is the real truth that most littering goes unchallenged? We’re so used to seeing filth on our streets.

You’ve only got to take a walk into Bridge Street to see how much litter is tossed aside.

Cigarette butts outside shops, offices and even churches. Smokers who carelessly discard them without a thought.

Not to mention the chewing gum which coats our pavements in big grey blobs like some hideous disease.

As well as the fag packets, drinks cans, crisp bags, food cartons, chip papers, pop bottles and sweet wrappers Drivers who chuck rubbish out of their car windows, in some cases emptying their ashtrays as they pause at traffic lights.

Dog owners who don’t bother to clear up after their pets, or bag it and leave the remains behind on a bush, fence or park bench.

Has any of this been wiped out by this scheme? I don’t think so. Where are the fines for these law-breakers?

I’m not putting the blame on the council for this filth – no it’s many of the town’s residents and visitors who are responsible – they know who they are.

I often see council workers picking up litter, doing their best to keep the town centre clean.

As fast as they collect it up, it’s replaced by more.

How frequently do you see people sitting on the bench by the River of Life eating McDonald’s or some other takeaway food, only to leave behind the wrappers even though bins are just yards away? Consistently setting a dreadful example to their children.

Or have you walked behind someone who drops a cigarette or can of coke, when they could just keep it for two minutes more to reach a bin?

We have plenty of bins, people just don’t bother to use them.

It’s all down to education. Dropping litter is as alien to me as trying to rob an old lady.

It was drilled in to me from a young age. Actually eating in the street was also forbidden when I was a child and it’s something I just don’t do. I can still hear my mum’s disapproving voice should I even think of it.

So while the council is no doubt doing its bit to stem the tide of dumped muck – there is still much work to do.

It needs to start at an early age and be instilled into people to care about their own environment.

Find a bin or take it home, it’s not difficult.