STREET cleaners are to launch a five-day blitz on East Durham's grot-spots next week.

Litter, weeds, graffiti and fly-tipping are to be targeted by Easington District Council street cleaning teams and wardens in a bid to smarten up the appearance of the district.

The teams, working with estate officers from East Durham Homes, will carry out sweeps of individual areas.

Starting on Monday - when they will target Seaham, Seaton Village, Dalton-le-Dale, Murton, South Hetton and Hawthorn Village - the teams will carry out a variety of duties including clearing weeds from public footpaths, collecting litter, sweeping roads and paths, and removing items left by fly-tippers.

Street wardens will carry out special patrols and issue fines to anyone caught dropping litter or failing to clean up after their dog.

On Tuesday, attention focuses on Easington Village, Easington Colliery, Grants Houses, Horden and Shotton Colliery; Wednesday sees the teams in Peterlee, Blackhall and Blackhall Rocks; on Thursday Thornley, Wheatley Hill, Haswell, Haswell Plough, Wingate, Station Town and Trimdon Station will be blitzed and the campaign ends on Friday in High Hesleden, Monk Hesleden, Hesleden Village, Castle Eden, Hutton Henry and Sheraton.

During the last district-wide campaign in 2004, they collected more than 25 tonnes of rubbish, the equivalent of 610 bags of litter and household waste.

Council officials predict that a quarter of all areas in the district will fall below acceptable standards this year, down from 40 per cent two years ago.

Oliver Sherratt, director of community services, said: "We are committed to cleaning up the district and these figures show the clean-up operations are making a difference.

"However, we also need residents to help us by remembering not to drop litter and alerting us of any problem areas where they think fly-tipping may be occurring."