A ‘LITTER hero’ is calling for a deposit return scheme to protect the ocean and its wildlife.

Rob Arnold and his son Ben collected 430 aluminium drinks cans and 240 plastic bottles from just a mile long stretch of road near their home in Liskeard.

Also gathered up were seven large sacks of plastic waste, including food containers, crisp packets, coffee cups and wrappers.

As well as being unsightly, the rubbish poses a direct threat to the marine environment, says Rob; three quarters of the plastic litter that ends up in the sea comes from land-based sources.

‘This mile of road and its verges straddle a tributary of the Seaton River,’ said Rob.

‘The stuff is going down the drain, into the river, and ending up on the beach’.

Rob has recently been named a ‘litter hero’ by the organisation Keep Britain Tidy for his efforts to look after the environment and raise awareness.

‘I think a lot of the time, the rubbish we see on this part of the road is people emptying out their cars. We call them tossers,’ he said.

‘I think walkers are also chucking rubbish in the bushes as they pass.’

Rob hopes that his photos will help draw attention to the problems discarded waste can cause - but says that it’s a ‘minority of people’ who drop litter.

‘It’s good to alert people. The UK has a litter crisis and the government needs to step up,’ he said.

‘A deposit return scheme would be a good start - and TV ads like we had in the 70s, such as the “Don’t be a litter lout” campaign.’