Litter louts have been warned “there’s no excuse for ruining our streets”

Between February 2024 and January, Liverpool Council received 3,608 requests for street cleansing and 16,683 requests to remove fly tipping.

Transcript

00:00Litterbugs across Liverpool will face tougher penalties for dumping their rubbish on the streets

00:06as the City Council moves to deploy an external company to deal with enforcement.

00:11With more than £12 million spent each year on cleaning litter and fly-tipping across the city,

00:16the local authorities' cabinet is moving forward with a proposal to contract a firm to crack down on environmental crime.

00:23There are the amenities to put your rubbish and keep your bugs.

00:26There are plenty of bins.

00:27I've seen it in the park. They tie the bags to the tray and there's bins every length of the wall.

00:36Go to other places and it's so clean. Other cities, other major cities like Barcelona and Parma.

00:44There's nothing. There's no litter.

00:47Subject to agreement, a three-year deal could be agreed with an as-yet unnamed company

00:51to punish those who fail to keep the city clean.

00:53Additionally, the amount litter-lots pay for their offences is also poised to increase significantly.

01:00Penalties are proposed to increase for litter and graffiti with a tiered approach towards fly-tipping offences.

01:05Breaches of public space protection orders will also be subject to harsher penalties.

01:09Well, it's got to make the stars.

01:12I think so. I think it'd be a stars. It's just that there's some rough people.

01:17I don't think it's so. I don't think it's, you know, to make it for the money.

01:21It's good. It's not a good idea at all.

01:24Well, I think they've tried the majority of things and it doesn't seem to work.

01:29So, yes. Reluctantly, yes.

01:32Between February 2024 and January this year, Liverpool Council received around 3,600 requests for street cleaning

01:39and more than 16,500 requests to remove fly-tipping, including 3,521 reports of dumped black refuse bags,

01:513,124 pieces of furniture, 531 shopping trolleys and 1,016 fridge freezers.

01:59I've seen them throughout the litter house of a car.

02:03Yeah.

02:03Unbelievable.

02:04I'm a scout leader and we do, like, a community badge.

02:09So, we did some work with our young people about, we went on a litter pick and we, you know, explained and said to them,

02:16you know, how would you like this in your front garden and, you know, type.

02:20So, I think education as well.

02:22Yeah.

02:22Start to pick and say, pick it up.

02:25You know, get out and about.

02:26Take it in, get it up.

02:28Put it in there.

02:29More than 100 fixed penalty notices issued in an eight-month period generated £10,000 in fines from offenders.

02:38These will now be increased to reflect the city's new approach.

02:41Should senior councillors agree, the charge for dropping litter will increase to £150 up from 80,

02:48with an early payment option of 100 if paid within 14 days.

02:53Unwelcome graffiti and flyposting is also facing sin of punishments doubling to £200.