SCHOOLCHILDREN who drop litter in the street during their lunch break will face spot fines of £50 in a crackdown due to start next week.

Council wardens in Durham City plan to issue fixed-penalty notices if they see pupils dropping litter, which will be taken to the child's home and presented to their parents.

For the past week, wardens have been working with teachers and pupils at Framwellgate School through a series of workshops and presentations to get the anti-litter message across. From Monday, the fines will come into force

The move - which follows the success of a similar project in the Ushaw Moor area with pupils at Durham Community Business College - follows concerns about the amount of litter dropped near the shops in Front Street, Framwellgate Moor, where a lot of children head at lunchtime.

Belinda Snow, senior neighbourhood warden with Durham City Council, said: "There are a number of shops and other food outlets in Framwellgate Moor Front Street which are attracting pupils on a lunchtime to buy sandwiches, crisps or other snacks, with wrappers and papers.

"So, throughout this week, we will be working with the school to help educate pupils about acting responsibly when it comes to disposing of their litter and also introducing the consequences, including £50 fixed-penalty notices, if they don't follow the advice."

The wardens say that taking the fines back to the child's home and speaking to the parents is part of the education process.

During the previous campaign, at Durham Community Business College, the school introduced its own measures to help deal with the problem, including report points for anyone seen dropping litter and actions to encourage children to remain on the school site during break times.

Ms Snow said: "We are really pleased with the support we have received from local schools and hope that by working together we can spread a positive message about litter and help tackle the problem with younger people to hope they will continue to act responsibly as they get older.