2,861 people who have been caught dropping litter in Manchester city centre have been issued with on the spot fines a year on from the start of a major crackdown.
A special team of litter busters has been working in the city centre – since November 2014 – looking out for selfish people who ignore rubbish bins and drop litter.
Officers have the power to hand out on-the-spot fines to litter bugs – and anyone refusing to pay the £80 bill faces being taken to court.
The Council have secured 159 convictions – since the end of May – against people who have refused to pay the fine, with fines and costs totalling over £44,000 imposed by the courts.
While most of the notices have been issued on Market Street, High Street and Piccadilly Gardens, the team is operating across the whole of the city centre.
The team form just part of a huge litter crackdown organised by Manchester City Council in response to concerns from residents about the problem.
The city council has installed nearly 700 new litter bins, including 40 recycling bins, in the city centre as part of a major campaign urging residents and visitors to take responsibility and not drop litter.
Advertising slogans have been placed on paving slabs – thought to be a first for a British city – while grants have been provided to community groups who want to organise their own clean-up operations.
Many of the anti-litter initiatives are funded by the city council’s £14.5m clean city fund used to create long term improvements to Manchester’s environment.
Residents and community groups are invited to apply for grants of up to £200 through the Clean City Fund to help to run regular clean-ups and, or greening events in their local areas.
Cllr Nigel Murphy, Manchester City Council’s executive member for neighbourhoods, said: “We are extremely serious in tackling the issue of littering in Manchester and the vast majority of decent people don’t want to see our city centre being used as a rubbish dump.
