A NEW anti-litter campaign launched by Essex councils and fast food franchises has been branded sexist by feminist campaigners.

The campaign, launched by councils and food outlets under the Love Essex banner is siting Bin Your Litter posters on bus stops countywide.

But the posters have angered womens’ groups, because they allegedly refer to men as “smart” and women as “pretty”.

Two versions of the poster – one with a male figure and the other a female, depict figures people holding fast food containers, the slogan, “Bin Your Litter”.

One has a man, dressed in a suit, with the tagline, “it’s a smart thing to do”, while the version with the woman carries the line, “it’s a pretty quick thing to do”.

It has been heavily criticised on social media by people across the county and beyond.

Colchester woman Elisa Vasquez-Walters, who is a member of the Essex Feminist Collective, said: “I find it absolutely staggering that in 2015 anyone, let alone a local authority, would find that appropriate.

“You expect this from a really horrible, big corporate business, but this is a local authority.

“It’s not just women, it’s men, who think it is just inappropriate and out of date.

“I will be interested to know where it came from. It’s disappointing.”

The Love Essex anti-littering campaign was started last year by Essex councils, Keep Britain Tidy, the Highways Agency and fast food chains McDonalds, KFC and Dominos Pizza.

A Braintree Council spokesman said: “The choice of wording was not intended to apply exclusively to the gender of the accompanying models. The key message is a call to action, asking people to dispose of their litter responsibly.

“Braintree Council has been in touch directly with people to address concerns expressed on social media.”