SPY vans have been placed outside Bolton schools to trap young litter louts.

The move has resulted in 60 pupils being handed £50 fixed penalty fines.

Two secondary schools were targeted to crack down on youngsters dropping rubbish in surrounding streets.

Since the launch of the operation in a pilot scheme outside the two schools last October, the 60 pupils - including the four teenage boys caught here on camera - have been called into their headteacher's office and given the £50 fixed penalty fines by litter enforcement officers.

Another 40 youngsters have been handed fines, which can be given to children as young as 10, for dropping litter in the town centre and other areas of the borough.

Environment chiefs at Bolton Council now plan to extend the scheme to all secondary schools throughout Bolton following the large numbers of complaints from residents.

Cllr Roger Hayes, executive member for environment at Bolton Council, said: "People living near most of the secondary schools in the borough are experiencing pretty bad problems with littering.

"Issuing fines is a last resort, but nevertheless, there are juveniles who unfortunately ignore all our best endeavours to change their actions and behaviour."

Warnings will be given in assemblies to hammer home the anti-litter message before spy vans are positioned outside individual schools.

The crackdown on pupils is part of the anti-litter campaign started by the council and supported by the Bolton Evening News in its "Bin It For Bolton" crackdown.

The council began its campaign last year when officials gave the first £50 fixed penalty ticket for littering in the town centre. Since then it has expanded to other areas, including Horwich, Westhoughton, Farnworth, Little Lever and Kearsley.

By the end of March, enforcement officers aim to address 37 assemblies in schools, including Sharples, Hayward, Ladybridge, George Tomlinson, Westhoughton, Mount St Josephs, Harper Green, Smithills and Turton.

Schools chiefs are also being encouraged to take responsibility for the areas in which they are located by giving pupils the chance to take part in the clean-up campaign, Spring Clean 2005.

Sally Wolstencroft, manager of the Environmental, Education and Enforcement Unit at Bolton Council, said: "We are talking about huge amounts of litter and we have received a large number of complaints from people living near to schools.

"Most schools try to keep pupils in at lunchtime but unfortunately some parents send letters giving their children the right to leave at lunchtime and they then hang around local shops and throw their rubbish all over the ground.

"We are making the rules very clear to pupils by going into schools and explaining what will happen before we follow up with fixed penalty fines."

The assemblies coincide with the launch of "Love Your Environment", an environmental campaign launched this month which aims to tackle bad behaviour that is being blamed for undermining people's confidence in parts of Bolton.

The scheme also hopes to put pride back into the borough by cleaning up streets, parks and public spaces.

Money generated by fines for throwing rubbish or allowing dogs to foul the pavement is to be put back into keeping Bolton tidy and educating people about the problems of dropping litter.