INVERCLYDE Council issued just THREE fines for littering last year despite receiving almost 200 complaints about the problem.

The council’s environmental and public protection service employs enforcement officers who patrol Inverclyde and can issue £80 fixed penalty notices for littering offences.

New figures for 2022/23 show that only one of the notices the local authority handed out last year was paid, while 190 complaints were made by residents upset about dropped waste.

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The council has issued 39 fines since 2018/19, but only 11 have been paid – and none of those who failed to pay were referred to the procurator fiscal.

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Almost three quarters of penalty notices handed out over the last five years have been for offences which occurred in Greenock.

Overall the number of complaints about littering fell in 2022/23 from 218 down to 190.

It was also down on 2020/21’s figure of 269, but last year’s total is still higher than 2019/20’s of 183 and the 116 complaints logged in 2018/19.

Greenock central and east, one of six council ‘localities’, saw the highest number of complaints about littering last year, with 74.

It was also the location for around a third of the complaints made about littering since April 2018.

Complaints spiked in June of 2022, when 24 were lodged, and hit their lowest point in September, when just nine were recorded.

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An Inverclyde Council spokesperson told the Tele that the council could only issue an FPN when clear evidence identifying a perpetrator was provided or its officers witnessed the incident.

They added: "The council supports the community through facilities and enforcement action to help tackle anti-social behaviour.

“The key to tackling it is it not happening in the first place and for that the wider community needs to support by continuing to use recycling facilities and not fly tipping and keeping our streets litter free. 

“Enforcement is always a last resort but the data shows that we will take action if required though we would always prefer that we didn't have to.

“We rely on information to carry out any enforcement action and would encourage the community to let us know about the actions of the small minority who carry out anti-social behaviour."