A boy of six has become the youngest person to receive a council award for doing his bit for the environment.

Connor Parris, from Snodland, was one of 18 people to be named as a Tonbridge and Malling council Environmental Champion.

The youngster was honoured for cleaning up Snodland Recreation Ground.

Picnicking there with his family, he was disgusted by the amount of litter left in and around the children's play area and began to pick up all the litter and place it in the bins provided.

While he was collecting the rubbish he saw three young people drinking and throwing their litter around. The youngster approached them and told them that if they did not pick up their rubbish his mother "would smack their bottoms."

The family have returned to the recreation ground several times since and Connor continues to pick up any litter he sees.

The council's Environmental Champions scheme was launched earlier this year to encourage more people to make an extra effort to improve the environment. It is open to everyone in the borough anyone can nominate a person to become an Environmental Champion.

The winners were rewarded for a range of activities including organising Bash the Trash events, working as a street monitor, organising farmers' markets, taking part in community days and organising events to raise awareness of environmental issues.