Fly-posters come unstuck in Bristol

Local councils spend a fortune on cleaning up fly-posters

Bristol has been praised for its pioneering approach to the problem of illegal fly-posting.

The accolade came as Keep Britain Tidy launched a national campaign to crack down on those who plaster walls and shop fronts with illegal posters

They cost councils thousands of pounds each year to clean up, and are considered by many as a major eyesore.

Bristol City Council, however, has been singled out for throwing a new tar-like paint at the problem.

The paint prevents posters sticking, and Keep Britain Tidy says this is the way forward for local authorities.

But fly-posting is still evident in the city.

Fly posting is illegal and those caught doing it or having their product advertised on them, can be fined up to £1,000 Alan Woods Keep Britain Tidy

One Bristolian told BBC Radio Bristol: "They are pasted everywhere with no thought for who owns the property.

"No one does anything about it: even though there are addresses on the posters."

The charity Keep Britain Tidy is urging the public to report wrongdoers and for councils to prosecute them - whether big businesses or local companies.

'Tough law'

Alan Woods, Chief Executive of the Keep Britain Tidy, said: "When they pay to have these posters put up, do people ever consider that residents in St Paul's in Bristol are going to have to pick up the tab for cleaning them up?

"People want good quality environments - not ones blighted with litter, graffiti, poor lighting and derelict buildings.

"Fly posting is illegal and those caught doing it or having their product advertised on them, can be fined up to £1,000 a poster.

"We're determined to work with councils to carry out high-profile prosecutions against those who profit from fly-posting," he added.