Cigarette butts the main scourge as litter levels soar

Last year, almost 12% of urban areas and just over 20.5% of rural areas were unpolluted.
File image: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

Passengers and pedestrians remain the main culprits for littering with cigarette butts, chewing gum, food and sweet wrappers causing the most problems, according to a new survey which has reported an overall rise in littering year-on-year.

Discarded cigarette butts actually account for more than half of all litter, with chewing gum adding another 10%, the Department of Environment-commissioned report said.