Burger chain McDonald’s plans to hire a street cleaner in a drive to spruce up Oxford’s litter-strewn streets.

The new post, organised by McDonald’s franchise owner Carl Room, will involve three-hour street patrols every day to target rubbish dropped in Cornmarket Street, George Street and Queen Street.

McDonald’s has also agreed to take responsibility for two litter bins in the city centre and donated £200 to campaign group OxClean so it can buy litter-picking equipment.

Mr Room, 42, who runs three McDonald’s outlets in the county, said: “Everybody has a responsibility to make sure Oxford stays free of litter, from businesses to shoppers.

“I created this job because I felt it was important to give something back.

“McDonald’s is a big brand and we need to show people that we’re playing our part.

“There’s more litter than there should be in the city centre, and it’s about time we all did something to sort out the problem.”

Mr Room, who lives near Bicester, took charge of his first McDonald’s franchise in Headington in 2002 and later bought the branches in Cornmarket Street and Abingdon.

He said: “Oxford is rightly renowned as one of the most beautiful cities in Britain, or maybe even the world.

“Tourism plays a major role in the city and if people who make the effort to come here are met with dirty streets, they may never come back.

“We should all take pride in the upkeep of our city. It’s not going to happen overnight, but changes can happen in the long term if we all work together.”

Anyone caught dropping cigarette butts, chewing gum and litter can expect an £80 on-the-spot fine as police community support officers, council officers and street wardens step up anti-litter patrols.

Flyposting and graffiti are also being targeted.

John Tanner, the city council’s executive member for a cleaner, greener city, said: “This new role is fantastic.

“I hope other traders will follow this example and play their part. It’s only if we all work together that we’re going to get the tidy city we’re all hoping for.

“Everybody has a responsibility, not just to stop dropping litter, but to pick up and bin rubbish they see on the street.”

If you know about a litter hotspot, call our newsdesk on 01865 425500 or the city council on 0800 227676