No ticket target for city's new litter enforcers

Liverpool has a new taskforce targeting littering, fly-tipping and dog fouling in the city

A new team of litter enforcement officers in Liverpool will not be told how many tickets they should be handing out.

Liverpool City Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins said newly introduced measures were instead designed to catch those "deliberately messing up our streets" rather than residents who make "an honest mistake".

The local authority, working with contractor Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement (WISE), said it was cracking down on littering, fly-tipping and dog fouling in the city.

The council said 45 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were handed out last month for illegally dumping waste.

'Promote positive behaviour'

WISE officers will support work being done by the council's internal environmental crime enforcement team.

Liverpool City Council said it was not setting FPN targets because it preferred to focus on encouraging responsible behaviour.

Robertson-Collins said: "Our goal is to help promote positive behaviour and show people who don't respect our city that it will not go unseen."

Those caught littering face a £150 fine, while dog owners who do not clean up after their pets risk a £100 penalty.

A tiered penalty system has been introduced for fly-tipping, which starts at £500 and can rise depending upon the severity and scale of the offence.

WISE managing director John Dunne said he wanted to secure "long-term improvements in local environmental quality".

He said officers would use body-worn cameras and mobile technology to verify offenders' details.