A COUNTYWIDE group has been formed to look at the problem of litter.

The county council scrutiny research group was set up after a survey found 50 per cent of North Yorkshire residents said litter was a major problem in their area.

North Yorkshire County Councillor Carl Les, the authority's executive member for corporate services, said: "One of the main problems we have at the moment is fly-tipping.

"One clear message coming out from the research is that there needs to be more enforcement.

"It's not just about councils picking up people's rubbish."

He added: "There is a clear indication from this survey that efforts are needed to tackle this problem.

"Investigations will continue as to how we can work with other organisations and the general public to make sure that people realise that dropping litter is just not acceptable."

The study was carried out by the county council's citizens' panel. It is made up of 2,000 volunteers.

The survey revealed that residents blamed fast food customers for dropping the most litter.

However, the report stated: "Oddly, one of the areas thought to be the least littered were those near to take-away food shops.

"This suggests that people throw away the take-away food packaging away from where they bought it - probably in the shopping centres or open spaces."

Teenagers and schoolchildren were also singled out for criticism.

Clearing up litter and illegally dumped rubbish costs county taxpayers more than £2m a year.

However, 69 per cent of residents underestimated the bill.

Of those questioned in the survey, 89 per cent thought that litter leads to other forms of anti-social behaviour, including rowdiness and vandalism.

Residents were asked for the best way of tackling the problem of litter.

Just over 30 per cent said punishment and fines, 28 per cent said better-designed litter bins and 22 per cent said more education about the subject was needed.

The research group included representatives from district councils, North Yorkshire Police, the Environment Agency and national parks.

A report will be given to the county council's scrutiny committees, before it goes to the authority's executive.