FINES have been handed out to 286 Oxford dirt devils since a crackdown on rubbish in the city began.

Oxford City Council launched the Oxford Mail-backed Cleaner, Greener Oxford campaign at the start of November last year and is now spring cleaning the city.

It also clamping down on flytipping, abandoned cars and dog walkers who do not pick up their dog dirt.

John Tanner, the council’s executive member for a cleaner, greener city, has revealed 286 people have been fined £80 – or £55 if paid within 10 days – for environmental offences since the campaign began.

The council has recently rolled out its campaign to Blackbird Leys and has issued 20 legal notices on the estate, which force landlords to clear rubbish from their gardens and residents to put waste in the correct bins and containers.

Mr Tanner added: “I’d like to say thank you to all those people who have been putting their litter in rubbish bins in the city centre.

"We want people to stop dropping litter and make the city centre a no-go area for litter, chewing gum and cigarette butts. The fixed penalty notices show we mean business.”