STREET wardens have been out in force spreading the message of cleanliness as part of a new anti-litter campaign.

They have been highlighting the problems of litter, refuse and dog fouling to residents in Morecambe's West End and Poulton areas to help them crackdown on littering.

With the support of Poulton Neighbourhood Management and community groups, the 10 wardens have delivered leaflets to every house in the area.

The leaflet informs local people of refuse collection times and other services - and warns of the wardens' powers to issue fixed penalties for littering.

The scheme falls in line with the Citizen's Streets Ahead campaign, which aims to promote any work residents are doing to spruce up their area.

"The idea behind the anti-litter campaign is to improve the environment of Poulton and the West End, which were highlighted some time ago as areas that required targeting," says Alan Winters, street warden manager.

"We want to stop people leaving rubbish such as bin bags in streets for five or six days before they are collected. This will prevent rubbish blowing around the alleyways and making the place look unsightly."

He says that although residents were only informed last week, there were already improvements.

"We think without a doubt the campaign will stop littering, dumping and dog fouling and so increase street cleanliness," he says.

A number of clean-up campaigns are being planned for the summer but for more information on the free removal of refrigerators, freezers, furniture and other bulky items, call 01524 582400.

* If a person drops, throws or leaves litter, which can be as small as a sweet wrapper or as large as a bag of rubbish, in a public place, they will be committing a littering offence.