HOUSEHOLD rubbish is causing a filthy headache for Dartmouth roadsweeper Peter Clements.

He is often faced with clearing up piles of discarded rubbish from plastic sacks that have been ripped open by seagulls. The latest mess was in Broadstone on Wednesday morning.

'Every week I have to clear up something,' he said. 'What we see and what we have to deal with is disgusting.'

Peter is appealing to householders to put their rubbish in seagull-proof bags that are available free of charge from the council offices at the Guildhall.

'Residents in Browns Hill Steps can't get wheelie bins up there so are given weekly bag collections. But putting their rubbish in plastic sacks is not going to keep the gulls out,' he said.

'Some mornings the town looks a compete mess with rubbish including bottles, plastic and cardboard, much of it recyclable.'