FILTHY - that's the verdict of the Mayor of Bournemouth on the state of the town centre.

Responding to a disgusted email from a visitor to Bournemouth Square, Cllr Bob Chapman has called for action on the town's rubbish-strewn streets.

After visiting the town centre, Cllr Chapman replied: "The lower part of Old Christchurch Road, Commercial Road and the Square were filthy and I only wish I had £1 for every fag end that is lodged between the paving stones."

Appalled by the mess, others have joined the call for a stronger approach in the war against litter.

Cllr David Smith said: "How can we be a world-class resort if we cannot even keep the centre clean?

"We've got to start dishing out tickets to make sure this antisocial behaviour is stopped."

Residents have also expressed their disgust at the state of some town centre areas.

Rory Robertson, 21, a promoter from Bournemouth, said: "In this day and age it is a disgrace.

"It could be cleaner."

Lewis Rosario, 19, from Charminster, said chewing gum was "a monster problem", and that not enough people realised what a poor state the town centre was in.

CCTV cameras now cover the main areas of the town and could be used to identify litter droppers.

But the council issued just nine fines for littering in 2005-06.

A council spokesman said enforcement officers and police currently deal with litter offenders when patrols detect an offence.

"Daytime patrols are regularly carried out with the knowledge and assistance of CCTV operators," he said.

"We do not dish out tickets, but try to educate the public through awareness campaigns."

Despite the town's immaculate blue flag beaches, the state of the streets have become a recurring headache.

Current council cleansing policy aims to have the town clean by 8am each morning.

Cllr John Hayter, cabinet member for strategic development and transport, admitted litter was a continuing problem, but said the town was adapting to the issue of longer licensing hours.

"There are peak times when there is a problem with littering, which we do endeavour to clean up quickly," he said.

"We have been changing rotas to meet the demands of the evening economy, and are entering into new arrangements with takeaways to clean up outside their own premises," he added.

The mayor declined to comment further when asked to expand on his comments in the email.