POSTMEN are being urged to snap out of their habit of dropping rubber bands on the floor.
Lewisham Council estimates posties in the borough drop around 5,000 elastic bands every month.
Now Mayor Steve Bullock has written to Royal Mail, demanding its staff clean up their act.
He said: "People might say it's only elastic bands but it adds up to unnecessary work for us.
"We appreciate postmen have to deliver an awful lot of letters in a short space of time but I'm sure they could be a bit more careful and not drop elastic bands."
Mr Bullock added: "If everyone takes collective responsibility I am sure we can live in a much cleaner environment."
Royal Mail says the bands are biodegradable, which means they rot away naturally over time.
A spokesman said: "We would like to apologise to any customers affected and reassure them we remind our staff to take extra care to avoid dropping bands."
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