Litter is core of art exhibition

The exhibition aims to make people think before discarding rubbish on the streets

Burger cartons, half-eaten pizzas and empty drinks cans are the subject of an unusual art exhibition in Cheltenham.

Photography student Eve Smith spent a week rising at 5am to take shots of the town at dawn, strewn with litter.

Her project is part of the borough council's Don't Rubbish Cheltenham campaign, which aims to make the town the cleanest in Britain by 2005.

The worst litter was near takeaways on the Lower High Street. The exhibition is on at the Cheltenham Film Studios.

Gathering in gutter

Eve said: "It was horrific, there were polystyrene boxes, sauces, chips and food from the night before, all gathering in the gutter."

Students are often blamed for causing the litter, but John Ayres, who is working on the project with Eve at the University of Gloucestershire, feels it is an unfair assumption.

He said: "Students are involved with this, but it is the entire population of Cheltenham, the nightclub goers, they are all contributors."

The manager of one takeaway restaurant - McDonalds - is also a member of the litter-clearing campaign.

Frans Middelkoop said: "We're trying to get people to understand what it's all about. If everybody thought twice before they do these things ... it's very much a don't care attitude."