Veteran West Yorkshire businessman Thomas Black has launched a personal campaign against litter – by commissioning and starring in his own film.

Don’t Drop Litter Or Else! was filmed at Denton, near Ilkley, and can be seen on YouTube.

Mr Black, former joint chairman of the Keighley-based Peter Black Holdings, a major supplier of products and services to UK retailers, wants to stamp out litter, which he says is desecrating the countryside He said: “I am lucky enough to live in one of the most beautiful areas of Yorkshire, on the outskirts of Ilkley, and it makes me so cross – and so sad – to see how many people disrespect the countryside.

“Talk is cheap, though, and I decided to do something about it. I started off by doing my own litter-collecting rounds, close to my home, but I felt these were a drop in the ocean in response to an overwhelming problem. I needed to do something more hard-hitting, which would reach a wider audience.”