A NORTH Yorkshire MP was today launching a new campaign aimed at encouraging people to take a pride in their communities.

Tory Anne McIntosh, who represents Thirsk and Malton, and chairs the Government’s All-Party Parliamentary Local Environmental Quality Group, is backing Keep Britain Tidy’s ‘Love Where You Live’ initiative.

The campaign aims to reduce the amount of litter in England over the next nine years by getting residents to take responsibility for keeping the areas where they live clean, raising awareness about litter prevention and becoming ambassadors for “clean places”.

“It is very important for local communities to take pride in the local environment, and this is at the heart of Keep Britain Tidy’s latest campaign,” said Ms McIntosh.

“I would urge everybody to love where they live and to enjoy the advantages this will bring to their whole community.”

The campaign has cross-party Government support and is expected to be launched in North Yorkshire in September.