Litter fines are simply not fair

NEW data about litter fines reveal a staggering difference between Southport and the rest of Sefton.

The data, obtained by the Visiter, show that an incredible 77% of fines paid for littering throughout the borough were from offences committed in Southport. That’s £104,972 out of £134,962.

While we should praise the council for tackling the problem, to have such an imbalance is not right.

We all want to live in a clean and tidy town, so of course it is important that the issue is addressed by the council to punish those who drop litter and make messes (and of course, residents and visitors must take more responsibilty).

However, this praise can only truly be applied if the action is being taken equally over the whole of Sefton.

Yes, Southport is busier than most places in Sefton and therefore attracts more visitors – but does that account for the disparity?

The whole issue feels much like the pay and display saga which now upsets so many in the town. It started off as an idea with good motives – to ensure a good turnover of parking spaces to help local businesses get more custom.

But the worry – with Sefton Council just having faced £64m budget cuts – is that these two schemes are now increasingly being seen as predominantly revenue raisers rather than ways of improving our community.

If wardens are disproportionately targeting people in Southport ahead of those in all other areas in Sefton, this has become a stealth tax on residents and visitors to Southport – and that is blatantly unfair.