LITTER louts are under fire from a Kidderminster school head who admits some of his own students should carry the can.

Youngsters from King Charles I High School in Comberton Road were slammed in the Shuttle/Times & News letters page for dropping their rubbish in neighbouring streets.

Headteacher, Tim Gulliver, did not defend them and is taking action to make his students cleaner and smarter.

"I am in full agreement with the reference to the few pupils who let us down," he said.

"It's the fast food mentality of leaving your rubbish behind for someone else to clear up. They don't take it to a bin themselves.

"It's getting worse, particularly among young people. You don't find litter in Germany or France. It's a disease which needs to be eradicated."

He said there had been special assemblies to get the message across. Pupils had been warned by the district council's environment officer that they faced £50 fines and student groups had been formed to go around picking up rubbish.

"They have responded to this black and white move," he said. "We have to keep on at them and if that means they pick up the litter, then that's what we'll do."

Mr Gulliver said children often got into bad habits before starting school at the age of four or five because they were copying adults.

"If it starts with parents, then we haven't got a hope," Mr Gulliver said. "I have approached adults dropping litter in the street and I have been sworn at. Sometimes people have apologised and picked it up but I think more people don't make an issue of it in case there is aggravation."

He is also planning to be stricter on the school's dress code.

"The vast majority of young people are excellent role models who we are honoured to work with," he said. "The appearance of a minority leaves much to be desired. You can't go around with your shirt hanging out or your tie undone.

"People passing by judge us on what they see. People might call these views traditionalist but they set the ethos for our school. I'm not alone in this."

John Abberley, of Chester Road South, wrote to the Shuttle/Times & News earlier this month to complain about the state of the town.

He said he picked up litter every morning from the road outside his house and said the district would look better if more people did the same.

He criticised King Charles pupils for dropping litter on their way to school and Mr Gulliver invited him to a meeting to offer a personal apology for the behaviour of a minority who believes are giving the school a bad name.