The amount of dumped rubbish, fly-tipping and graffiti in Liverpool has been significantly reduced.

In 12 months from December 2007 to December 2008, 15,500 fly-tipping complaints were reported to the council compared to 17,500 in the previous year - a reduction of 2,000 reported incidents of fly-tipping.

The average amount of fly-tipped material on the city's streets has also been reduced from around 900 tonnes a month in 2007 to around 700 tonnes in 2008.

Levels of dumped bin bags in alleyways are also down as are levels of graffiti.

The figures are part of a longer term trend which shows that while the levels of eco-crime are coming down - prosecutions are going up.

From April 2007 to March 2008 Liverpool City Council officers handed out more than 4,200 Fixed Penalty Notices for a variety of environmental crimes. The city expects to eclipse this figure in the period 2008 to 2009 as part of a major crack down on environmental crime.

Lib Dem Councillor Berni Turner, Liverpool's executive member for the environment, said: "2009 is the city's Year of the Environment and we are determined to make sure it is looking its best and keep our streets and neighbourhoods as clean as possible. Dumping, fly-tipping and graffiti are all anti-social activities which make the city look worse for everyone."

A website devoted to tackling environmental crime is now live in Liverpool.

Anyone in the city can report fly-tipping, graffiti or littering at the click of a mouse and see the offenders named and shamed on the web.

www.liverpool.gov.uk/enforcement also shows all the good work the council is doing to clean up the city.

Lib Dem Councillor Marilyn Fielding, Liverpool's executive member for Safer, Stronger, Communities, said: "People are fed up with the tiny minority of people who drop litter, fly-tip or spray graffiti. Litter and dumping can blight our communities and clearing up other people's waste is time consuming and costly. As we have shown, if people report environmental crime to us we will take immediate action against those responsible. It is a very serious issue and one we are determined to address."