THE Borough of Poole and Bournemouth Borough Council are to be at the forefront of a new nation-wide campaign aimed at tackling cigarette litter.

The news has been welcomed by smokers and non-smokers alike who say it is time to get tough on thoughtless smokers who carpet town centres with cigarette butts.

The two councils are among 10 local authorities selected to spearhead a promotional campaign to be launched in September.

The aim of the campaign is to encourage smokers to dispose of their cigarette butts properly and not drop them as litter.

A survey in Poole carried out in May 2007 by environmental and consumer protection services found that smoking contributed to 73 per cent of all litter found.

In Bournemouth and Poole, bins have been installed to allow smokers to dispose of their litter responsibly.

Borough of Poole has installed "stub plates" on a number of bins in the High Street and along the Quay with a further 300 stub bins being installed across the borough.

Bournemouth has installed more than 100 "stub it" bins on existing litter bins around town and both councils have handed out free personal ashtrays and gum pouches to raise awareness.

Salesman Jon Mitchell, 24, on a smoke break in Bournemouth town centre, questioned if enough was being done.

Mr Mitchell, of Beresford Road, Poole, said: "You can tell from looking around here they are all over the place.

" I do think there should be more places to be able to dispose of them.

"I smoke roll-ups, which I think basically disintegrate, but tailor-made cigarettes tend to stick around for ages. It definitely looks disgusting."

Non-smoker Grace Richards, 18, from Princess Road, Brank-some, said: "It's horrible and you see it everywhere."

She applauded the thinking behind the bins but wondered whether most smokers would bother to use them.

Poole and Bournemouth were chosen after applying to partner environmental charity Encams on its Cigarette Litter campaign.

Other councils invited include Barnet, Darling-ton, Islington, Stockport, Telford, Trafford, West Sussex and York.

Cllr Don Collier, cabinet portfolio holder for the Environment, Borough of Poole, said: "With the introduction of Smokefree there is the potential for smoking-related litter to increase.

"But with a high-profile education campaign promoting the issues and highlighting the potential fines for dropping litter we can ensure that people can take pride in keeping Poole tidy."

Cllr David Smith, cabinet portfolio holder for the community, Bournemouth Borough Council, said: "Through a mix of education and enforcement we aim to tackle the problem head-on to ensure the town remains a cleaner, safer, greener place to live."