Businesses in Bradford city centre should pay for the litter they help create, it was claimed today.

Bradford Council said it would welcome cash to help pay for the teams which clean the city after a call by Keep Britain Tidy.

The green pressure group wants businesses which profit from increased opening hours to contribute to extra cleaning, as happens in American cities such as Washington, New York and Philadelphia.

Streets could become rat-ridden disaster areas strewn with rubbish unless there is action to curb litter louts, Keep Britain Tidy said.

The campaign group said big rises in the number of dumped bottles and discarded takeaway rubbish had left councils spending record sums on cleaning up.

Richard Wixey, director of Bradford Council's environmental services, said: "We would welcome financial support from firms, particularly those that have a disproportionate impact, such as takeaways."

He added: "We are working hard to keep the city clean but we cannot do it alone.

"We need everyone to take responsibility for their action and that means the Council, businesses and the public.

"In particular, we expect takeaways and food businesses to take specific responsibility where necessary for the litter produced by those who buy from them and to keep the area in the vicinity of their businesses clean."

He also said the Council wanted to stop firms which distribute leaflets unnecessarily because these then became litter.

Damian Fisher, whose Council Street Scene department is responsible for keeping streets clear, said it was putting in as many "man hours" as possible to ensure the cleanliness of the city centre.

He said the city centre was cleaned thoroughly every day, starting at 5.45am and again in the evening after the rush hour.

He said throughout the day a team of eight litter pickers and sweepers worked in the centre, adding: "We are putting a lot of operational hours in to ensure the city is clean for shoppers, workers and visitors.

"The problem areas can be around bank machines and firms' doorways where staff take a cigarette break, and obviously fast-food outlets.

"We have 350 litter bins and overall we have a very clean city centre."

Keep Britain Tidy plans to issue a series of posters aim at teenagers to get the cleanliness message across.

Alan Woods, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy said: "Being able to party through the night might suit some but we must ensure it doesn't result in our cities becoming no-go areas during the day."