WIRRAL Council's purge against litter continues today with 60 people who failed to pay fines given out in the crackdown due to appear in court.

The vast majority - 56 prosecutions - are against smokers accused of discarding cigarette ends on the street.

The total number of people issued with fixed penalty notices across the borough has now rocketed to 5,838 in just six months.

The local authority says it is offering people a "last chance" opportunity to pay their £80 fixed penalty plus £50 costs before the case is heard in court.

The alternative can prove extremely costly as magistrates are ordering defendants to pay a £100 fine, £150 costs, a £150 court charge plus a £20 "victim surcharge,"

The council has hired Kingdom Ltd to patrol the borough - with staff using body cameras to gather evidence and issue on-the-spot fixed penalty notices.

But the company's officers have been accused of being "over-zealous" in their duties after the Globe revealed a Wirral man was fined after the wind blew his bookmark to the floor.

The penalty handed to David Ellis, 62, was quashed after the town hall agreed the patrolwoman had shown a “lack of discretion.

Wirral Globe:

David Ellis: Issued with litter fine after accidentally dropping his bookmark

The anti-litter drive began in July and now 5,838 penalties have been issued up to December 14 – a huge increase on the total of 90 over five years from 2010.

Fines topped £281,000 in the first three months of the crackdown.

Councillor Bernie Mooney, cabinet member for environment and sustainability, said: “These cases prove that we really do mean business when it comes to cleaning up our streets and open spaces and creating a more attractive local environment.

“We started this new approach to litter enforcement back in July and I think people can see that we are not going to let up.

"Moreover, this court action shows that ignoring the fixed penalty notice is not an option; we will follow them up and take people to court if necessary.

“The message is clear. If you don’t want to be hit in the pocket with a fixed penalty notice or, even worse, a heftier fine, conviction in court and a criminal record - don’t drop litter, put it in the bin.”