Epping Forest District Council has approved a number of initiatives to tackle the district’s litter problem, which has worsened since the pandemic.

The council will join environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, sponsor an annual litter picking competition and re-evaluate its use of CCTV as an enforcement tool.

Conservative councillor Holly Whitbread proposed the motion in place of the councillor for environmental and technical services Nigel Avey, who is self-isolating after being “pinged” by the NHS Covid-19 app.

She said: “What has been disappointing to see, particularly during the pandemic, is an increase in littering.

“We saw scenes in High Beech in the very peak of the pandemic where people were just covering our forest and our green spaces with litter.”

Keep Britain Clean organises campaigns to reduce litter and prevent waste. In 2016 their “We’re Watching You” anti-dog fouling campaign won a UK Charity Award.

In addition to joining the organisation, the council will sponsor an annual 'Pride in Epping Forest District' competition to acknowledge the individual, group or parish council which makes the greatest local contribution to the removal of litter from the streets and countryside.