Shock tactics have been used to launch a new anti-litter campaign to make people think twice about dropping rubbish.

Ten new posters showing a broken bottle in a baby's cot have been plastered across buses serving the Kendal area and read: "Funny, you're not too lazy to find a bin at home."

Launched by the Keep Britain Tidy Group in Kendal on Monday, the countywide initiative is backed by South Lakeland District Council, Cumbria County Council, the Lake District National Park Authority and United Utilities.

Jo Whitaker, regional director for the Keep Britain Tidy Group, said: "We want it to be a shocking

campaign because obviously you would not put glass in a baby's cot. Research has shown that giving the public a shock is the best way to catch attention and change

behaviour."

Around £1 million is spent each year on cleaning up rubbish across South Lakeland, while the problem has helped the UK's rat population grow to nearly 60 million. Discarded litter also causes problems for animals, with 70,000 injured or killed by discarded plastic bags, tin cans and broken bottles, says the TBG.

Mrs Whitaker said Cumbria did not have a worse problem with litter than anywhere else but had been included as part of a nationwide clean-up campaign.

Malcom Guyatt, area ranger for the LDNPA, attributed the litter problem to modern-day lifestyles and the excessive packing which now accompanied goods.

"We are trying to make the Lake District a safe, clean and beautiful environment for people to enjoy yet you only have to drive along the roads to see rubbish thrown out of cars," he said.

Ian Laird, cleansing manager for Barrow Borough Council, which serves the Furness area, said laziness was the root cause of litter.

On Saturday an estimated 50 bags of rubbish was collected from around the shores of Windermere as part of Winderclean 2003.

The event, co-ordinated by the Lake District Tourism and Conservation Partnership and organised by the LDNPA, was sponsored by the Aquarium of the Lakes and involved more than 30 volunteers. Among the items recovered from the shoreline included barbecue grills, hub caps, traffic cones and broken fishing rods.

April 9, 2003 09:00