A scientist who works in Swindon has been honoured as one of the very first of the UK's Litter Heroes.

Elaine Massung, who works as a robotics portfolio manager at the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council in town was selected as one of only 100 heroes across the whole country by Keep Britain Tidy for her work in her home town of Chippenham

Elaine 36, is the co-founder of Off The Ground, a community initiative in the town which was set up three years ago, with the ultimate aim of getting rid of litter thrown on the ground so that it then blows away and gets stuck in hedgerows by either removing it, or preventing it from being discarded in the first place.

She has been chosen as one of the first 100 Keep Britain Tidy #LitterHeroes ambassadors, all down to her passion, enthusiasm and plans to keep the environment clean and tidy, and she wants to do more.

Already busy running Off The Ground and local campaigns such as Love Chippenham, she aims to expand by kickstarting more groups and getting more people involved.

“Litter might seem like a small problem, but its impact can be enormous, from the cost to clean it up, to the toll it takes on our wildlife,” Elaine explained.

“As a #LitterHero ambassador I do hope to do more within my community to not only help raise awareness of this often unseen price tag, but also empower residents to share their potential solutions to the problem.

“It is only by engaging with people and encouraging behaviour change that we can actually stop litter from being dropped in the first place.

She added: “I felt because we have been doing so much in Chippenham over the last few years it would be good for us to learn more about what others across the country are doing.

“We want people to take pride in their community and get involved trying to prevent litter in the first place. Litter picking isn’t a solution to the problem, it is mitigation.

Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: “While we should all care fore the environment on our doorstep, there are some people who go above and beyond, supporting and inspiring others with their passion and infectious enthusiasm.”

Organised by Keep Britain Tidy, the scheme is backed by the People’s Postcode Lottery which has funded it.