A body linked to the Keep Britain Tidy campaign has lambasted Britain as a nation of smelly loos and gum-stained streets.

In a report published on Monday ENCAMS said that litter, poor hygiene, dog mess and chewing gum were undermining cities across the UK.

The region-by-region assessment found that public conveniences were smelliest in the West Midlands, the South East and the North East.

London is facing a crisis in litter bins, many of which are over-flowing onto the street, says the study.

Dogs' dirt is also a major problem - with many children's play areas littered with potentially harmful excrement.

Alan Woods, the chief executive of ENCAMS, said: "Nobody wants to live in a dirty neighbourhood, not least because it sends out the message that no one cares and once you go down that road, you'll have higher crime rates before you know it.

"But given some commons sense and better planning, a lot of these difficulties could be overcome in double quick time."