| Lib Dem blitz costs litterbugs £135 each |
|
Liverpool's Lib Dem run City Council has launched a major blitz on litter
A marathon session before Liverpool magistrates saw a total of 25 people being fined for dropping litter after a swoop on litter louts by Liverpool Council. All those who pleaded guilty to the offences were ordered to pay a total of £135, made up of a fine of £60, plus £75 costs to the local authority. They were told the fines could have been even higher if they had not chosen to plead guilty at the first opportunity. Seventeen dog owners who face charges of allowing their pets to foul Liverpool's parks will also be in court today, facing a potential £1,000 penalty. They were also picked up in a preplanned crackdown - and more are in the pipeline. Cllr Colin Eldridge, Lib Dem PPC for Wavertree, said, " These prosecutions were the result of a drive by the city council to make Liverpool a cleaner place. " The message is clear - if you drop litter of any sort then you stand a very good chance of ending up in court. For far too long, litter louts have escaped scot-free, but those days are over. " All the evidence is the majority of people in Liverpool want us to take tough action against those who litter our streets. Cllr Paula Keaveney, Lib Dem PPC for Garston added " Court action is something people have shied away from for far too long, but we are determined to make people respect the city." Liverpool's tax payers pay £8million a year on cleaning the city's streets. Today's cases are set to be followed with further court action against fly tippers and later in the year fixed penalty fines will be introduced.
|