Britain is absolutely drowning in 1 thing - but a cheeky interaction gives me hope

If there's one thing my husband and children hate, it's someone dropping litter. But although I'm certain they find it as lazy and irritating as the next person, that's not why they roll their eyes and sigh. The real reason is because they know through many years of painful experience precisely what's coming next...

They know that, however young, old, feeble or scarily muscle-bound the perpetrator is, a Karen-esque challenge from me is imminent. It happened last week, although - thankfully for my family - I was alone. I spotted a bloke shoving empty booze bottles into a hedge. I mean, what, why, how? But despite the risks of confronting a random buff bloke in his 40s with a backpack, the words erupt like word vomit. "Excuse me - can you pick that up please?"

Thankfully, I didn't go home with said bottle smashed over my head. Instead, I was branded a "busybody" but, hey, he did carry away the bottles and, as a local councillor and journalist, that's one insult I couldn't possibly deny.

But I really do take litter seriously. And I bet you do, too. Britain, as you've probably noticed, is absolutely drowning in the stuff and I know you're just as angry as I am. From the cans and plastic bottles caught up in our hedges through to everyone's least favourite tree decoration: dog poo bags. It's depressing.

More than that though, it impacts on how people feel about their area, kills precious wildlife and has even shown to have a detrimental effect on property prices and affect investment. No one wants to live in a dump. Sadly it's a reality for many of us.

According to Keep Britain Tidy only a piddly one in ten of our streets and parks are litter free. A shocking two million pieces of litter are dropped every day in the UK and our coastline is paying the price too, with the Marine Conservation Society reporting a 9.5% rise in single-use plastic waste on beaches last year alone.

So what to do? Given the police are struggling to tackle basic thefts, it doesn't fill me with confidence that strict enforcement is the answer - much as I'd like to see the litter louts hammered with whopping fines.

Like many things today, much of it I suspect means taking matters into our own hands. In my area of Nunthorpe - and across Middlesbrough - there's a quiet army of daily litter pickers: it's immensely therapeutic and gives you a smug double-whammy of getting in the steps whilst making a visible difference to where you live.

The Government needs to empower that spirit and councils should be giving out free litter picking equipment to those keen to give it a go. They need to forget about daft carbon targets and focus on the things that directly impact our lives.

Many are quick to blame youngsters for all this mess - and yes, our local park is often strewn with the stuff. But recently, a smile was brought to my face as I picked litter.

"Are you on community service?" one cheeky lad on a mountain bike asked. And then, magically, the kids followed my lead and started to pick it up, too. If moody teenage boys can pitch in, there's hope we can turn the tide.

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In the words of the wonderful late Big Brother star Nikki Grahame: "Who is she?!" I'm sure that's the question some will ask stumbling upon this new weekly column.

So in brief: I'm 43, I'm married to Christopher with two children, George, 14, and Harriet, 12. I've been a journalist for almost my entire career, starting as a trainee in the northern town of Hartlepool when Peter Mandelson was MP.

As a clueless 21-year-old, the editor asked me who he was and I responded, "Erm, some Government-y bloke". How I landed the job remains a mystery.

My love of politics grew from there and, in 2019, I was elected as a Conservative councillor in Middlesbrough, where I serve to this day. I was also deputy mayor for a couple of years - so I know where all the bodies are buried...

Each week I'll bring you tales from my glorious town, but also ones that affect the entire country. Got one to share? Drop me a line.

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There are two types of people: those who plan their holiday to every last tiny detail and those who just shove a load of stuff into their case and hope for the best.

I very much fall into the latter category. So I was delighted by a new trend where holidaymakers try to get through the airport in 15 minutes.

If there's a Transport Minister willing to slash the time we spend ping-ponging around duty-free, they'd be on to an absolute vote-winner. Who needs over-priced perfume when you could be at the beach, sipping your cocktail?