FUNDING a ''Rolls-Royce'' litter picking service is not possible with Bromsgrove's current level of taxes, council bosses have admitted.

But they are appealing to the public to help in initiatives to make streets cleaner, put a stop to littering and illegal dumping and cut waste.

At a Council House meeting on Monday to review progress on litter since it was discussed earlier this spring, areas where litter was still an eyesore were highlighted by residents.

District secretary Bob Lewis said they were outperforming many other local authorities in terms of cleanliness, despite being the 19th lowest spending council in the country.

He said: ''If I'm really blunt, I'm actually quite proud of the standards which the council has achieved. I make no apology for that.

''You can't have it both ways. The council has had to strike a balance. We could give a Rolls-Royce service but I'm afraid the ramifications are that your council tax would have to go up.''

Cabinet member for environment and health John Tidmarsh (Con, Stoke Prior) urged the public to keep the council informed about any problems with litter or refuse collection and work with them to find solutions.

Areas in Worcester Road, Rock Hill, and Broad Street were identified as litter ''hotspots'' by residents, who called for more frequent litter patrols and monitoring of standards.

Bromsgrove District Council Head of performance and technical services John Moody said a monitoring service was already operating where officials went out and took photographs to ensure litter picking had been done.

Educational programmes are also in place in schools to teach children not to drop litter.