The Big Tidy Up is being held in September and aims to get communities together to tackle the tide of litter with local councils providing their support.

Councils – including Cher-well District Council, which is part of the Oxfordshire Waste Partnership (OWP) – will be lending their litter-picking equipment to anyone who wants to organise a clean-up of their area.

Figures released by Keep Britain Tidy, organisers of the national Big Tidy Up, show council taxpayers in the UK pay 500m a year to clean the streets, with more than 30million tonnes of litter collected each year.

While the focus of the Big Tidy Up will be to get rid of the litter, those collecting it will also be encouraged to separate as much of it as they can for recycling.

Events have been organised in Charlton-on-Otmoor and North Marston although more community groups and schools are being sought to get involved.

A clean-up of the area surrounding Charlton-on-Otmoor Primary School will take place on September 22 while a clean-up of the School Hill area, of North Marston, by the village school, will take place on a date to be decided.

Cllr John Tanner, chair of OWP said: "We can all do our bit in September by not dropping litter and picking up the rubbish left by other people. Cleaner streets and parks look good and save taxpayers' money."

For more information, visit www.thebigtidyup.org. Litter-pickers can also register their event on the website.