The former Yorkshire Dales resident Bill Bryson, the best-selling American author, has linked up with Government officials and business leaders to help spearhead a new crusade against litter.

He joined Environment Secretary Hilary Benn and executives from major companies whose products often feature in the rubbish which disfigures our streets and – a growing threat – our countryside in a new drive by the Keep Britain Tidy group.

Businesses backing the campaign include Macdonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Wrigley’s – all American owned – whose used packaging ,and the gum itself, can be found on millions of urban streets as well as in miles of rural hedgerows near towns and villages.

Bryson, who wrote his best-selling books Tales from a Small Island whilst living in Malhamdale, is now president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England. He said at yesterday’s launch:

“Litter is blight on what is some of the most beautiful landscape in the world. CPRE has spent two years pushing for this meeting and we hope now to see significant progress being made to rid Britain of litter for good.

“The UK spends a fortune – around £2.1 million a day – on clearing up litter, but very little of that goes to picking up litter in the countryside. We desperately need a committed agreement between government and the private sector to get Britain clean again everywhere.”

Until now, most anti-litter campaigns have focused on towns and cities but in recent years, following a big jump in fees charged by official tips, fly-tipping has become a major rural problem, with farmers and landowners facing hefty bills for cleaning up rubbish dumped illegally on their land.