Govt figures highlight lax enforcement of litter laws

The Irish Business Against Litter organisation has described the enforcement of litter laws in Ireland as "no more than a token exercise".

The description follows the release of figures showing that the number of convictions for litter offences in the first six months of last year was down 16% on the same period last year.

The Department of Environment figures showed that almost 1,200 prosecutions were pursued during the six-month period, but only one-quarter of them resulted in convictions.

They also showed that 39 local authorities throughout the country failed to take a single prosecution between January and June of last year, while 44% of local councils do not employ a any litter wardens.

Elsewhere, around 60% of the almost 14,000 fines handed down for litter offences were never paid, with no prosecutions being taken against the offenders.