HUNDREDS of bags of rubbish were dumped outside a Tube station to highlight the problem of litter in Waltham Forest.

An average of 16 tonnes of rubbish is dropped on the borough’s streets every day, costing the council £3.27m a year to clear up.

An event to raise awareness of the problem saw nine tonnes of rubbish left outside Leytonstone Tube station on Wednesday (January 5) in an attempt to deter litter bugs.

Church Lane was also left unswept for 24 hours to show the extent of the problem and drive home the message that clear-up costs could be better spent on other services.

Clyde Loakes, cabinet member for environment, said: “There is absolutely no excuse to litter in Waltham Forest.

"It’s lazy, unnecessary and costs us a fortune to clear up.

“We have over 1,800 bins dotted around our borough for people to use and we’re urging residents to think before they drop litter and help us reduce the financial burden on this borough.

“While we want people to voluntarily clean up their act, we’ll also be sending out enforcement officers who will be issuing £80 fixed penalty notices to people caught littering.”