Every resident of Norfolk is being urged to pick up one bag of litter next year in a fresh drive to clean up the county.

Nigel Ford, a litter warden for the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), has started the campaign LOVE Norfolk, HATE Litter.

The 68-year-old retired window cleaner from Hardingham, near Dereham, is concerned about the impact of Norfolk's litter problem on wildlife, the environment and the tourism industry.

He hopes the campaign, which he is running with his wife Jenny Ford, and friends Jamie and Dina Hambro, from Kimberley, will encourage people across Norfolk to take pride in the county.

The campaign has been backed by eight Norfolk councils, CPRE, The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) the Norfolk Club and high profile figures including Lord Romney,

Mr Ford said: 'I've been collecting rubbish all of my life without making a fuss about it but it's come to the point where I think we all need to work together and take responsibility.

'I'm asking everyone to collect just one bag of rubbish in 2017.

'If everyone does their bit, it will make a big impact. If every resident of Norfolk collects just one bag of rubbish that would mean some 800,000 bags are collected.

'Annual litter picks are great but I want us to get out of this cycle where the rubbish piles up again and then gets cleared away, and to make the county clean all year round.'

Mr Ford wants people to record their litter collections on www.litteraction.org.uk under the LOVE Norfolk, HATE Litter site so the amount of rubbish collected can be seen.

Through the campaign, Mr Ford also wants like-minded people across the county to form a Norfolk think tank, to discuss issues and put in place litter prevention measures.

He proposes working with schools to educate children about the environmental cost of littering.

The campaign could also see groups and individuals take voluntary responsibility for particular areas of the county.

The campaign is backed by North Norfolk District Council, South Norfolk Council, Breckland Council, Norwich City Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Norfolk County Council and the Highways Department.

They said, in a joint statement: 'The councils support the aims of the campaign and are willing to offer practical support.'

To find out more about the campaign, e mail Mr Ford at legindrof@btinternet.com