A veteran former Keighley businessman has launched a personal campaign against litter – by commissioning and starring in his own short film.

Don’t Drop Litter Or Else! was put together by Thomas Black and can now be seen online via YouTube.

Mr Black, 75, former joint chairman of the Keighley-based Peter Black Holdings, a major supplier of products and services to UK retailers, wants to stamp out the scourge of 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 much wider audience.”

He came up with the idea of a short film, which he hopes will make people think and laugh at the same time.

It stars Mr Black, together with Gareth Finister, who plays a yobbish litterbug, and Tony Hudson, who plays a farmer with a muckspreading machine. There’s even a cameo role for Patch the Wonder Dog! See YouTube or visit Mr Black’s Facebook page to see the video.