LITTER louts are being urged to clean up their act following a tidying up operation at a nature reserve.

Countryside wardens employed by Hartlepool Borough Council and volunteers collected 25 sacks of rubbish in two-and-a-half hours from Seaton Dunes and Common Local Nature Reserve.

The clean-up operation coincided with an Operation Clean Sweep taking place in nearby Seaton Carew.

Operation Clean Sweep involves the council working with a range of partner organisations to concentrate resources in an area, usually for about a week, to tackle a range of problems.

Countryside warden Robert Smith said: "Some of the litter and rubbish had undoubtedly been blown onto the common by the wind, but some of it had clearly been thrown from vehicles passing by.

"There is simply no excuse for such behaviour, and we would urge everyone to dispose of their litter properly.

"The local nature reserve and the adjacent North Gare area attract a lot of out-of-town visitors. First impressions count for a lot, and we don't want people to be greeted with piles of rubbish."

Hartlepool Mayor Stuart Drummond congratulated the clean-up team on its efforts, and backed the call for people to dispose of their rubbish sensibly.

He said: "A lot of hard work has gone into transforming the town's image. It is important that a minority of thoughtless people are not allowed to ruin the progress that has been made."