Scottish survey finds a load of rubbish

Dropping litter in Scotland is illegal, and could result in a £50 fine. In 2007, officials issued more than 4,000 fixed penalty notices to people caught littering.

Yet in recent research published by Keep Scotland Beautiful, 46% of Scots admitted to committing this environmental crime. A similar proportion said that they found littering in beaches, parks or their own neighbourhoods offensive.

Surprisingly, the worst offenders were not teenagers as children, but 45 to 54 year olds, 63% of whom confessed to littering.

The most complained about type of litter was dog mess - about which 69% of respondants registered their displeasure. Other bothersome forms of littering included chewing gum (49%), food and drinks packaging (45%) and needles and plasters (30%).

However, the most common littering problem is smoking related, with litter being found in 2005-6 on 62% of sites. Dog mess was found on only 7%.

Cleaning up all this rubbish falls to the Scottish authorities, costing them £70 million a year.