An Environmental Task Force is due to get tough on Keighley litter louts.

The Bradford Council-run group, nominated for a 2020 Vision award this year, is set to launch a three-pronged campaign to encourage the town's residents to clean up their act.

Concentrating on Lawkholme, residents will first be encouraged to join in a community clean-up, where Bradford Council officials will take away all garden and street rubbish for free.

But if people with rubbish-filled grounds do not participate in the clean-up, the council will give the house owner a notice asking them to remove the litter within a set period of time.

If the rubbish is still not removed, then the task force will come and take it away itself, ordering the house-owner to pay the costs.

The clean-up drive will also coincide with an educational campaign, teaching youngsters about the environmental importance of properly disposing of litter.

The Environmental Task Force co-ordinator, Amjad Ishaq, said: "We really want to bring awareness to everyone about how environmental problems are caused.

"First of all there will be a clean-up campaign, then an educational campaign and then an environmental campaign.

"We will be putting more litter bins up, and we are going to go into schools and talk to children about dropping litter, and we are going to reconstruct some flower beds in the area because some are falling apart.

"We are going to give residents an opportunity to get rid of some of the rubbish in their gardens through a community clean-up.

"We can take it for them in this clean-up we are organising, which the residents can join in on, but if they don't want to participate in the clean-up and if there is still rubbish in their gardens we will then take action against them.

"Having certain rubbish in gardens can attract rats so rubbish can be a very serious environmental health issue.

"We will be serving four-month notices to people to rid of their rubbish. If it is not done within the time schedule then the council will come to remove it and send the bill to the owner of the house.

"They must pay or it will go through small claims court."

The Environmental Task Force initiatives are set to take place around Easter.