Litter-louts and business owners who fail to keep their premises clean face hefty fines and possible court action in a new crackdown.

Landowners who fail to tackle illegal fly-tipping on land or property they own also face tough action.

A 12-strong Bradford Council enforcement team will take to the streets next month, using new methods to deal with litter offenders in a bid to clean up the district and improve its image.

They will be able to force businesses and private landowners to act if there is a litter problem around their property.

News of the crackdown follows the launch of the Telegraph & Argus Bin It for Bradford campaign.

The campaign is aimed at encouraging people to take pride in the district and do their bit when it comes to tackling litter, encouraging readers to organise community clean-ups and highlight areas of the district where rubbish is a problem.

John Major, pictured, head of service for the Council's environmental protection unit, said a key focus for the enforcement team would be the routes in and out of central Bradford. Officers will respond to complaints and take appropriate action to tackle the district's grot-spots.

"We want people to get the message that the Council is serious about cleaning-up the district," he said. "The enforcement team will focus on litter created by businesses on major routes into the city.

"It is essential gateways are kept clear because they are visible to people approaching the city and need to make a good impression." Mr Major said the enforcement team would be used to force businesses to take responsibility for the rubbish they produce.

"We will be issuing street litter control notices to businesses such as takeaway restaurants which generate a lot of litter," he said.

"That will force them to take responsibility for litter 100 metres either side of their properties.

"To comply with the notice they might need to increase the number of bins they provide or sweep the pavement several times a day.

"And those who don't address the problem will be prosecuted."

The enforcement officers are also set to tackle fly-tipping by taking action against owners who fail to clean-up their land.

"We only used to target private landowners when there was a risk to health or where it was causing a nuisance but now we will target all dumped waste and will force landowners to take measures to protect their land against people dumping rubbish there."

Officers would also target individuals who dropped rubbish.

"People who throw litter out of cars will receive fixed penalty fines of £50. Car registration numbers will enable us to trace those responsible," said Mr Major.

But a community role was also on the cards for the new team.

"Our officers will visit businesses to try to address issues before they get out of hand. They will target areas where we know there are problems and try to advise and re-educate people."

He outlined the importance of sustaining the improvements made and said the enforcement team would work closely with businesses to make sure bad habits did not return.

Councillor Ghazanfer Khaliq (Lab, Bradford Moor), chairman of the Council's environment scrutiny committee, said the new enforcement policy would make a dramatic impact on levels of cleanliness in Bradford: "Once people are aware that the Council is taking action I expect to see changes quickly.

"It is very important that we have this strong policy in place to deal with issues that cause members of the public so much concern."

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, executive member for environment, said: "It is everyone's job to keep this district clean.

"But if people ignore it and don't put litter where it belongs we can now get tough and prosecute them.