Leaving a single refuse bag on the streets of the capital of Drôme, Valence, will cost those who dump it €368.

Authorities in the town decided to add an extra €300 "intervention fee" to the existing €68 fines, after revealing that cleaning-up refuse sacks full of household rubbish and litter from the streets cost local tax payers €420,000 a year.

Those who drop a cigarette butt on to the floor, or who fail to clean up after their dogs also face fines of €118, which can be imposed by local wardens.

The full list of fines has been included in a 'Cleanliness Guide' that has been sent to all residents, while a series of adverts have gone up around the town as part of an awareness campaign.

Opposition councillors, however, have denounced the 'useless' measure, pointing out that previously existing fines have been in place since 2015, and only three fines have been issued for dog fouling, and 85 for abandoned garbage bags.