More fines should be imposed to deal with people who drop litter, a report suggests.

The amount of litter in the UK has soared by 500% since the 1960s and costs an estimated £500 per year to clean up.

The Litterbugs report from Think Tank Policy Exchange and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) highlights the full extent of littering in the UK.

It states that alongside these costs, companies in heavily littered areas are losing business.

The report found that rubbish adds an air of neglect to local communities, contributing towards increasing crime rates and anti-social behaviour.

Bill Bryson, President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: "This report identifies the lack of any systematic logic in enforcement policy.

"Fines are an essential enforcement tool, and one which needs to be applied far more consistently than is currently the case."

"As this report also says, we need community buy-in to the fight against litter; we must build civic pride in clean and tidy environments, with communities competing to be spotless. Only then can we stop the exasperating and routine vandalism of a country so rich in natural, cultural and built heritage."

The report called for the creation of a national body to co-ordinate anti-littering initiatives, campaigns and programmes. It suggested the future design of public spaces should take into account littering and littering behaviour.

Other suggestions included greater consistency in the application of penalties for littering across local authorities. The report found that only a small amount of authorities issue littering fines. There was also a tendency for fines not be given to the worst offenders, such as young urban males, as wardens perceive them to be threatening and dangerous.