COUNTY Durham football fans are being urged to recycle the beer cans and bottles they will get through during the World Cup

As part of the Big Recycle, a national campaign which starts today, the County Durham and Darlington Waste Awareness partnership is touring the county with its Big Recycle roadshow. It will give away two children's England tops at each venue and kicked off in Durham City centre on Saturday, and at Chester-le-Street, yesterday.

"Fans in County Durham will be cracking open thousands of extra cans, bottles of beer and soft drinks as they cheer on the team," said Councillor Brian Myers, Durham County Council's cabinet member for waste management.

"There will also be extra newspapers, magazines and cardboard packaging as the party atmosphere generates a mountain of World Cup waste - all of which can be recycled.

"This year's roadshow has a football theme, and we want all fans to put their newspapers, glass and cans into their kerbside boxes after the games," he said.

The roadshow will be in Darlington Market Place today, in Peterlee town centre tomorrow, at Asda, in Stanley, on Thursday, at Ferryhill Market on Friday, at Raby Castle Plant Fair on Sunday, and at Asda, Bishop Auckland, on Thursday, June 15.

All of the Big Recycle roadshow events are being held from 10am to 4pm.