The highest number of reports were located in the ward represented by the leader of the city council
Locals have complained about fly-tipping, rats and anti-social behaviour across the city
A total of just 19 fly-tipping fines have been handed out by Liverpool Council’s new internal litter squad since it was created last year. Between May 2023 and 2024, more than 4,000 requests were made to the city council for street cleaning, with 17,000 inquiries relating to fly tipping.
In a bid to address the issue, the local authority has invested heavily in enforcement, including geo-fencing technology, the introduction of tiered fines and an external company to hand out tickets to those caught offending. Cllr Joe Dunne used last month’s full council meeting to submit a question on how many penalty charge notices (PCNs) had been issued across the city against flytippers.
Each month a report is produced showing the number of incidents of fly-tipping that have been reported. In a written response, the council said since the investment was made last year, its newly created environmental crime enforcement team had issued just 19 PCNs.
Of these, 11 had been paid, producing an income of £5,350.
A further six are outstanding with just two submitted for prosecution. The highest number of reports of flytipping – 1,051 – were recorded in Kensington and Fairfield, the ward of council leader Liam Robinson and an increase of 5% on 2023/24.
Out of the top 10 locations, seven had reported a decrease year-on-year. In Anfield, reports dropped by 17% from 700 to 582.
Some of the new enforcement agents with Cllr Laura Robertson-Collins in Old Swan
Cases increased by almost 10% in the city centre however, with 578 reports in 2024 compared to 530 the year before.
Earlier this summer, the local authority confirmed it would not set targets for its new external company to hit when handing out targets.
The city council has contracted the services of Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement (WISE) to operate throughout the city to address illegal littering, fly-tipping and dog fouling.
Cllr Laura Robertson-Collins, cabinet member for communities, neighbourhoods and streetscene, said the council wasn’t trying to catch out people who “make an honest mistake” rather those “deliberately missing up our streets.”
As of June this year, litterers face a £150 penalty, while those caught dog fouling will be ordered to pay £100.
A tiered penalty system has been introduced for fly-tipping, which starts at £500 and can rise depending on severity.