Residents of a Kent town have been reminded how much money they are throwing away by littering

Ashford Borough Council, which spends £1million a year keeping the streets rubbish-free, piled 100 bin bags in the High Street on Tuesday morning as part of its new anti-littering campaign, and to show just a sixth of the amount of litter picked up in the borough every day.

Last year the council collected 32,000 bin bags - stacked on top of each other, these sacks would be twice the height of Mount Everest.

The council is also concerned the job will get bigger and more expensive in the future.

At present, the responsibility for litter clearing in places like Orchard Heights, Chartfields, Knights Park, Goat Lees, South Willesborough, Repton Park, parts of Godinton Park and Park Farm still lies with the area’s developers, but at some point these will have to be cleaned by the council.

The council is now asking shops, supermarkets, fast food outlets and petrol stations to support the campaign by displaying posters and encouraging customers to use a bin or take their litter home.

Secondary schools are being encouraged to get on board with a poster campaign aimed at teenagers.

Cllr Neil Bell, portfolio holder for Environmental Services, said: "Trying to keep our borough clean is like trying to paint the Forth Bridge, as fast as we clean up, the litter is back."

The campaign is intended to reduce the amount of litter, graffiti, dog fouling, fly tipping and abandoned vehicles across the borough.

People can report offences online at www.ashford.gov.uk/litter or by telephone: 01233 331111.