CAMPAIGNERS are trying to put a stop to roadside littering as it has become one of the main environmental issues to blight Dorset.

Litter Free Dorset is rolling out its Bin It, Don’t Fling It! campaign in the hope of tidying up the county’s roads.

Project officer Charlie Wild said the group found everything from wet wipes and barbecue items to car parts and kayak vests when they carried out a mass clear up of roadside litter recently.

One litter lout was spotted chucking multiple waste items outside a car window while driving along the Dorset Way in Poole this week.

The moment, which was captured on a dashcam, saw the passenger of a blue Renault Clio unashamedly dump their rubbish onto the road.

The litterer initially chucked a small amount of rubbish out the car’s window. Further up the road, they continued to fling out several more items of litter.

“We’re really sad to see people throwing rubbish out of their car windows as Dorset is such a beautiful place to live and visit, and this rubbish can predominantly be avoided from turning up in the roadside verges,” Charlie said.

People who drop litter in Poole could be landed with a £75 fine if they are caught, including those who litter while inside a vehicle. In Bournemouth, the fine increases to £80.

Litter Free Dorset is hoping to reduce the environmental impact of litter across the county, working closely with Dorset Waste Partnership to challenge the issue as part of a wider ‘Litter Free Coast and Sea’ campaign.

Charlie said: “Initial perceptions at the start of the campaign were that the majority of roadside litter would be made up of fast food packaging. However, only a small portion of what we’ve found has come directly from the traditional fast-food outlets.

“The vast amount of roadside litter that we have found is small, fly away items such as crisp packets and sweet wrappers. By having a paper bag in your car to store rubbish over the duration of your journey, rather than throwing items out of the window, we can work towards creating a Litter Free Dorset. Small steps like this can really make a huge difference, both for residents to the area and visitors.”

Highways England came under fire from campaign group Clean Up Britain recently after announcing its plans to introduce orange funnel bins at 25 service areas across the North West.

Motorists will be encouraged to throw their waste into the bins to help tackle roadside littering.

A 10-week trial of the funnel bins at Winchester services on the M3 showed a 25 per cent reduction in roadside littering earlier this year, Highways England said.

But Clean Up Britain has blasted the plans, arguing the bins are encouraging people to throw litter out of their windows - something campaigners are trying to stop.

Roadside littering is just one aspect of a general littering problem affecting Dorset.

This summer, the Daily Echo raised awareness of the spate of fly-tipping across the county, which particularly affected rural areas on the outskirts of the conurbation.

Cigarette butts are also an issue being tackled by campaigners, with Litter Free Dorset recently launching a Bin Your Butt! campaign.