Sandwell Council is hoping to shame local litterbugs to clean their act up A large plastic litter tank – full of rubbish collected from Sandwell’s streets – was on put on display in Oldbury town centre on yesterday (Thursday).

The aim of the tank is illustrate how much litter people needlessly dump in Sandwell, making a mess of its town centres.

Sandwell Council, along with waste partner Serco, have wrapped the tank in ‘crime scene’ tape to remind residents it is against the law to drop litter and offenders could face fines of up to £75.

The litter tank is set to go on tour across the borough in the coming weeks and will also go to schools to help educate young people.

Councillor Maria Crompton, Sandwell’s cabinet member for Highways and Environment, said: “This is an effective way of showing people the huge amount of rubbish such as empty crisp packets, fast food packaging, drinks cans and cigarette boxes that are found strewn on our streets.

“We want people to be proud of where they live and not drop litter. We don’t want to fine people but will do if they don’t act responsibly.”

Sandwell Council and Serco are currently running The Big Spring Clean campaign which has see 2,500 volunteers take part in litter picks and other events to boost the appearance of the borough.

Jason Holtom, Serco’s Partnership Director said: “We would like to thank all community groups, residents and schools for making a big difference during the Big Spring Clean. Those people who still think its okay to drop litter in Sandwell need to take notice. Less litter on the streets means a pleasant environment for everybody to enjoy.”