A mobile app is bringing litter picking into the digital age with a campaign to make families the new eyes and ears of council rubbish collectors across the country.

LitterGram, a free download for smartphones, is launching its #LOVEKENT Hate Litter initiative at the Kent County Show in Detling this weekend.

Developed by construction firm boss Danny Lucas, the app allows users to snap and share pictures of places where trash has been dropped and inform councils where to send their clean up teams.

It gained national attention earlier this year when lawyers from Facebook tried – and failed – to force the firm to change its name, believing it to be too similar to its photo-sharing brand Instagram.

The story was picked up by KentOnline and The One Show on the BBC, prompting a climbdown from the social network, provided LitterGram never trademarks its name.

“It made the app famous for me,” said Mr Lucas, who launched the project last year.

“We did an appeal for common sense because it’s free, for a good cause and educational. The message grabbed the attention of everyone.”

This year, LitterGram has been running a trial with Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, which became the UK’s first local authority to adopt the app’s free portal connecting them directly to users in the district.

Dennis Gardner, the council’s head of waste and street scene, said: “It not only benefits residents but also aids the team in being able to respond promptly and take appropriate action.”

"Now they know where the problems are and be smarter about the way they work...” - Danny Lucas, LitterGram

Mr Lucas hopes the trial will persuade other councils to sign up, saying his app’s software is capable of being rolled out across the UK.

He said: “Tonbridge and Malling took a leap of faith originally and now they are loving it.

“They are acting as a test case to show other councils they should not be frightened that signing up will mean they get inundated with reports they cannot deal with.

“You can manage public perceptions and manage users’ expectations. It makes life easier for them. Now they know where the problems are and be smarter about the way they work.”

Mr Lucas, who lives in Tonbridge with wife Debbie and their two children, launched the app after being shocked by the UK’s litter attitutes compared to Europe.

Britain is the dirtiest country in the developed world according to the Hygiene Council and has seen littering increase 500% since the 1960s.

In the 18 months since launching the project, Mr Lucas estimates LitterGram has had 10,000 downloads, although it only has 3,500 active users.

All this has gone on while he has run his contractor business Lucas, which has 300 staff and has previously worked on the Olympic Stadium, Terminal 5 and the Shard.

“I’m a real believer,” he said. “I don’t give up. I have got a vision and I know Littergram will become the way to deal with litter. Every hurdle we have jumped has made us stronger.

“There are so many good things going on out there – Keep Britain Tidy has a great agenda – but there is nothing comprehensive holding them together.

“LitterGram can be that central glue which everyone comes through.”