Just one day in court produced 12 successful prosecutions for littering with those responsible left to pay nearly £5,000 between them.
Earlier this month, Liverpool City Council brought the cases to Liverpool Magistrates Court after following up on Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued by enforcement partner Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement (WISE).
WISE staff members support the Council with its work enforcing littering and dog fouling rules, which are designed to keep Liverpool’s streets and green spaces clean.
The 12 people found to have littered were from as far afield as Surrey and London, with two-thirds of those prosecuted being under 40 years old.
None of the 12 turned up to court on the day, with just two pleading guilty by letter.
Anyone caught littering in Liverpool will face a £150 penalty, while those caught dog fouling will be ordered to pay £100.
People who do not agree that they have committed an offence, or who refuse to pay the FPN will have their case escalated and may face formal prosecution via the courts.
The court will then use evidence to determine whether or not an offence has been committed and whether a penalty should be imposed.
As well as its work with WISE, the Council has its own internal environmental enforcement team, who lead on investigations into waste handling by businesses and fly-tipping.
Recently, the team had its own successful day in court after it found a van that had been fly-tipping on Liberty Street.
Footage seen by the team showed a van pulling up on the street before two people unloaded a significant amount of waste next to a purple wheeled bin.
The keeper of the vehicle refused to co-operate with the team’s investigation, leading to the owner being taken to court for being in control of a vehicle used for fly-tipping.
In 2025, a total of 2,239 FPNs were issued for a range of environmental crimes.
Anyone who sees fly-tipping is encouraged to report it on the Council website.
Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins said: “Littering and fly-tipping are entirely selfish acts that have a huge impact on everyone else.
“There is no excuse for leaving rubbish on our streets, especially when we have plenty of infrastructure and support in place to help people get rid of it responsibly.
“If you are caught littering or fly-tipping, there’s no avoiding the consequences. You can’t just ignore it and hope it will go away, as evidenced by these recent court cases.
“The only way to guarantee you don’t get penalised is by not dropping rubbish in the first place.”
