AN anti-litter campaign in Culcheth and Glazebury has stepped up a gear thanks to the ingenuity of young artists.

Junior designers Benjamin Kingcox, of Glazebury Primary School, and Culcheth High's Kathryn Ragan were successful in a competition staged by Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council earlier this year.

Their creations are now a popular sight in shop windows and every bit of spare space, as the war on rubbish hots up.

And continuing the trend, young people have been leading the way when it comes to keeping the neighbouring villages tidy during the summer holidays.

Parish council chairman Clr Delia Caswell has been touring primary schools and has been impressed by their sense of civic pride.

"The children were talking about the posters and came up with some ideas about where they should go around the villages," she said.

"And they told me that they should be on every noticeboard, outside every shops, particularly food shops and on litter bins.

"They also said that the would try to train their parents not to drop litter - it was wonderful listening to them talk."

True to their word, the parish council has issued Benjamin and Kathryn's colourful posters to stores and businesses across the villages, as well as pinning them to the authority's own noticeboards.

Earlier this year the parish council emphasised its environmental crusade by writing to shopkeepers, asking them to take pride in the areas immediately surrounding their premises.

Later this year the parish is hoping to stage a litter day, when each street will be encouraged to tackle its own trash, which will then be collected and deposited in a skip by the community maintenance officer.