ENGLAND is becoming an ever dirty country thanks to increasing litter – and rural fly-tipping is one of the major problems, says the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

This criticism follows the publication of on official survey which shows that the litter situation in all areas of the country has slipped from satisfactory to unsatisfactory during the past two years.

This was the conclusion of the Local Environmental Quality Survey of England for 2006/07, which published it annual report yesterday, causing the CPRE to demand more action from both local and central government.

Litter is a major environmental problem, and one that is getting worse, not better

Ben Stafford - Head of Campaigns

"Litter is a major environmental problem, and one that is getting worse, not better. Today's figures are a message to those bodies charged with enforcing litter laws that they need to do more to clean up their act," said Ben Stafford, Head of Campaigns.

CPRE is campaigning for concerted action by central and local government and other enforcement bodies to clean up litter and fly-tipping. These problems are “particularly acute in rural areas, where litter and fly-tipped rubbish disfigure the countryside, and are often left to lie much longer than in towns and cities.”

Stafford went on: "Litter is a problem that must be addressed at all levels of society. The starting point, of course, is that people should not drop it. But unfortunately litter does get dropped, and it is then essential that those bodies with the authority and the duty to clean it up do so.

"Gordon Brown has indicated this week that the Government may be ready to adopt a tougher line on single-use plastic bags. That is a welcome step, but we need stronger political leadership across the board. If we ignore litter, as we all know, it attracts more litter."