CASH-STRAPPED council chiefs are declaring war on litterbugs to slash massive street cleaning bills.

Colchester Council spends just over £1million a year picking up litter, Tendring Council is forced to fork out £1.5million and Braintree Council £1million.

It is money town halls desperately need with funding cuts of up to 40 per cent on the horizon.

The authorities are urging people to do their bit by helping to slash the street cleaning bill.

Braintree Council is leading the way with its Green Heart of Essex campaign, which aims to make the district one of the cleanest in the country.

It is investing £250,000 on the two-year project.

It combines a crackdown on littering with reviving play areas and planting trees. Residents are encouraged to take part by getting involved in litter picks and reporting rubbish hotspots.

Wendy Schmitt, councillor responsible for the Green Heart of Essex, is delighted with the public’s response to the campaign, which was launched last month. She said: “What is encouraging is the number of reports of rubbish we are getting.

“People really are taking it to heart. They realise they can do something to help and it’s just a phone call or text away.

“We have got more groups wanting to do litter picks, which is absolutely fantastic.”

Weeks after the campaign was launched, the council received 376 reports of litter – 138 more than the previous month.

The new “See It Report It” service enables people to use text, Twitter, Facebook, telephone and e-mail to report incidents.

The council plans to carry out litter picks on the A120 twice a year. The first one will be on Friday between Coggeshall Road and Galleys Corner at a cost of £11,500.

The council is concentrating on cleaning up the district, but in the autumn, it will start planting thousands of trees.

It is also helping residents and businesses reduce their carbon emissions, with the aim of cutting them by 1,000 tonnes.

Colchester Council leader Anne Turrell said: “We spend time and money making sure Colchester residents can be proud to walk around their town.

“We’re going through our fundamental service review on street services and waste. Through that review we may find other ways to deal with these problems.”

Options being considered include letting people off fines if they do community work instead.

Tendring Council has urged residents to take responsibility for their towns and villages and is supporting Keep Britain Tidy’s campaign, but has stopped short of any new initiatives.

Lynda McWilliams, councillor responsible for the environment at Tendring Council, said: “Individually the amount of litter dropped is small but the trouble is it all mounts up.

“If everyone took responsibility for their rubbish, we could make a massive impact on this issue and help improve our environment.”

Phil Barton, Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, applauded the councils’ efforts. He said: “We all complain when we see what is perceived to be wasteful spending and yet we as a country seem to be quite happy to throw litter and, consequently, money away.

“It is time for everyone in this country to clean up their act.

“A change in everyone’s behaviour will save money and it will make this country a cleaner and better place to live in.”

Keep Britain Tidy is asking everyone to think twice before throwing litter on the floor.