Companies responsible for some of the best known brands were urged yesterday to do more to prevent littering following a survey of rubbish picked up throughout Britain.

An analysis of 7,796 items of litter has shown Coca-Cola is the single most littered brand, accounting for 4.9 per cent of trash, followed by Walkers Crisps at 4.1per cent and McDonald's at 3.4 per cent.

The study run by anti-litter campaigner Tim Barnes, of the campaigning group Litter Heroes, was carried out with the help of 39 volunteers between September and October last year in mainly rural parts of England, Wales and Scotland.

Around 70 per cent of the nation's litter arises from the "food on the go" industry, according to the survey, with drinks cans and bottles accounting for 34 per cent of litter followed by confectionery wrappers at 16 per cent.

"Clearly, the people who drop litter are directly responsible for the problem, but manufacturers must accept some responsibility too," Mr Barnes said.

"Littering of these brands is degrading the environment on a national scale.

"The survey shows that almost everywhere you go in the UK you are likely to see a littered Coke can or a Walkers Crisp packet.

"It is time these companies took much greater responsibility for preventing littering of their products and for the cost of the clean-up."