A council has joined force with three fast food giants to launch an anti-litter campaign geared at cutting the £500,000 a year spent cleaning the district’s streets.

Maldon District Council, together with the other 13 local authorities in Essex, has teamed up with McDonald’s, KFC and Dominos for the Clean Essex campaign.

The unique scheme, which also has the support of Keep Britain Tidy, Essex County Council and the Highways Agency, will focus on raising awareness of litter and the fines culprits could face.

Mark Durham, chairman of Maldon District Council’s community services committee, has been on a personal crusade to tackle litter since 2012, when he raised concerns about the amount of rubbish blighting rural roads.

He has welcomed the launch of the campaign.

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