Pendle Borough Council is urging people to dispose of cigarette butts responsibly.

The initiative is inspired by Keep Britain Today, whose projects have included a Bin the Butt programme, as well as a Box Your Butts programme, which offers odour-free cigarette butt disposal boxes.

Councillor Asjad Mahmood, leader of Pendle Borough Council, said: "Cigarette butts are rubbish.

"In fact, they are the single most littered item.

"They can take up to 14 years to break apart, harming wildlife and polluting where we live.

"So, it is imperative we get this message across and encourage people to treat cigarette butts like all other litter and dispose of them correctly."

Councillor Zafar Ali, the Council’s portfolio holder for environment and climate change, said: "Cigarette butts make up an astonishing 66% of all littered items and cause devastating environmental damage."

David Walker, the Council's assistant director of operational services, added: "We provide plenty of litter bins throughout the borough; so there should be no excuse for not using one when getting rid of your cigarette butt or other waste when on the go.

"This summer we are backing Keep Britain Tidy’s campaign in asking people to bin their butts!"

More information about Keep Britain Tidy is available at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/get-involved/support-our-campaigns/bin-the-butt