People packing their daysacks and outdoor equipment in preparation for a trip to Ben Nevis are being urged to take their litter home with them, by people dressed in Bananaman costumes.

Officers from the John Muir Trust, which owns most of Britain's highest mountain, have been dressing up to raise awareness of the litter problem, which includes a lot of banana skins.

Litter is a large problem on Ben Nevis and has resulted in numerous campaigns to highlight the extent of the pollution, with the results of one recent clean up producing 18 bin bags of rubbish.

While many people believe that throwing organic litter such as banana skins is fine and helps the environment, conservation officer Sarah Lewis has claimed that this rubbish still causes large problems.

Ms Lewis said: "Bananas have a lot of potassium in their skins which can change the soil composition.

"They have a hard time biodegrading in rocky and cold upland environments and can take up to two years to fully decompose."