Kilkenny is once again the cleanest area in Ireland.

A survey carried out by Irish Business Against Litter shows that rubbish is largely limited to neglected city areas.

Farranree in Cork was classified as a litter blackspot while Galvone in Limerick city was described as seriously littered.

The survey shows sweet papers as the most common form of litter on our streets, followed by fast food wrappers, cigarette butts and chewing gum.

Spokesperson Conor Horgan outlined the key findings of the latest survey.

He said: “Our litter problem is now primarily a city problem. Our towns are clean, our city centres are clean, Dublin city centre and Cork city centre in particular fared very well this time around.

“But there are pockets of our cities where litter is a problem, and has been a problem for a number of years.

“So for the first time we are concentrating our efforts on parts of our cities which aren’t on the tourist trail, aren’t necessarily the centres for business – that’s where the problem now lies.”

Mr Horgan also said the clean-up process needs to begin with the local authorities.

He said: “We believe that the litter problem is solved first and foremost by the local authorities taking the lead in a given area.

“That’s what has happened across the country, we’ve put pressure on the local authorities, they’ve cleaned up and the community keeps the area clean.

“That’s exactly what needs to happen now in those urban pockets that are the magnets for litter at the moment. “