COMMUNITY groups are being urged to have their say on which grot spots a council blitzes as part of a £1million war on grime.

Blackburn with Darwen Council yesterday launched the Thrash The Trash campaign, which aims to tidy the borough and persuade people to keep it clean in future.

Among the package of improvements, in addition to the £6million spent annually on cleansing, are plans to increase back street cleansing, employ staff to keep town centres tidy and prosecute more people for littering and fly-tipping.

But a key part of the campaign -- being backed by a massive publicity blitz -- is involving the community.

Skips will be sited in areas on a regular basis so communities can get rid of excess waste, while members of the public will also be asked to sign up to a pledge card, which carries a series of promises about helping to keep the borough tidy.

Coun Bill Taylor, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "We also want people to identify which areas of the borough they would like to see tidied up. If it is council-owned land, then we will get on there and sort it out, and if not we will see what we can do.

"This campaign is very much about getting the public involved and we want suggestions for where the money can most make the difference.

"The important point to get across is that while the council is committed to sorting this out, we need the public to work with us to make sure it improves.

"We want suggestions for where people think we should target, where a real difference can be made."

The council has pledged to seek enforcement action against private landowners who do not remove fly-tipped rubbish from their sites.

People will also be urged to ring the council to report people they see dropping rubbish or flytipping.

A special hotline has been set up. The number to call is 01254 585921.