MORE than 20 Wirral residents were fined for dog fouling and illegal waste dumping as part of the council's 'zero tolerance' crackdown on environmental crime.

In total, 19 people were prosecuted for illegal dumping of waste and a further eight for dog fouling offences in one day at Wirral Magistrates Court.

A council spokesperson said that, in all cases, those fined had failed to pay fixed penalties issued at the time they were caught.

None of the 19 local people who were summonsed for illegally dumping domestic waste, often in alleyways at the back of their own homes, appeared in court.

Two of those did enter guilty pleas, but 17 did not respond at all. Their cases were proved in absence and they were ordered to pay £400 – a £220 fine, £150 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

The two who entered guilty pleas received a lesser fine of £150, making their total penalty to pay £330.

None of those prosecuted for dog fouling offences entered pleas or appeared in court so they too each received a total penalty of £400 from the court.

Cllr Phillip Brightmore, cabinet member for environment, said: "Let people be in no doubt that we mean business when it comes to cleaning up our streets and open spaces and creating and maintaining an attractive local environment.

"Our zero tolerance approach is about supporting the commitment shown by the majority of responsible residents, the volunteers and community groups in keeping our communities clean – we make no apologies for targeting the irresponsible minority who couldn’t care less about the cleanliness of the borough.

"This court action shows that ignoring fixed penalty notices is not an option.

"We have a beautiful borough and we will not shy away from using all the powers at our disposal against those few who would seek to spoil it.

"Wirral Council does not tolerate environmental crime."