DARWEN councillor John Roberts has backed a 'Keep Britain Tidy' call for people to confront litter louts and ask them to pick up their discarded rubbish.

The Marsh House representative, who is also the Borough's deputy environment boss, was commenting on a national newspaper survey which found that the majority of Britons are reluctant to confront litter louts,

Only 25 per cent of those questioned saying they had challenged someone they saw dropping rubbish.

Of those who did not intervene, 80 per cent did not do so because they feared an argument or confrontation.

Kirstie Allsopp, ambassador for Keep Britain Tidy, said people need to “man up”, and not be afraid to confront offenders.

Councillor Roberts said: "I agree with Kirsty.

“Hard earned cash and valuable resources is spent cleaning up the mess left by others in Blackburn with Darwen.

"I’m not expecting people to risk their personal safety, but at the very least people who are littering our streets and public spaces need to be challenged and if they choose to ignore this they should be reported.”