A Preston Council chief was getting ratty this week - in a bid to stamp out litter pests.

Brave Sonia Scowcroft aped the stars of hit TV series I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here by going face-to-face with 40 live rats in a see-through box at the city's Flag Market on Tuesday.

The council litter education officer was marking the launch of the Food On The Go campaign, which encourages people to bin litter and leftovers after munching on take-away food.

"Keeping Preston tidy is an important part of our plans and campaigns like this are a great way of spreading the just bin it message," said brave Sonia.

"We're also hitting litter louts in their pockets and anyone caught dropping rubbish could face a £75 fine."

Sonia joined Keep Britain Tidy model Kerry Dunne, who is also a stunt girl, as they spent time with the ratty rodents.

But the rats had plenty of other things to nibble on as the tank was also full of the typical debris left discarded on the city's streets by late night munchers.

The campaign will also see an image of a giant rat projected on to a city centre pub, rat posters on buses and council vehicles covered in images of rats.

There was national exposure for Preston's litter-busting campaign yesterday, (Wednesday) when Channel 5 series, Macintyre's Big Sting featured the We are Watching You campaign, in which litter louts in the city were targeted using a loud speaker system.

Councillor Carl Crompton, executive member for housing and direct services,said: "Rats, mice and other pests feed on left over fast food that people just throw on the streets.

"The rat population is increasing all over the country and we want to encourage people to bin their litter to help keep the rat race under control.

"Keeping Preston tidy is an important part of our plans and campaigns like this are a great way of spreading the just bin it message."