MORE than 33,000 fines have been handed out for littering in Glasgow City Centre in the past four years, figures show.

The area, with its high concentration of pubs, restaurants and shops, recorded the most fixed penalty notices in a breakdown of the city’s 23 wards.

Glasgow City Council said was hoped that improvements in the state of its streets over lockdown would encourage the public to be more mindful of the visual impact of littering.

The problem could be damaging Glasgow’s reputation as a visitor destination. Research shows littering is associated with increased levels of crime and makes people feel unsafe.

Figures show a total of 33, 285 fines were issued by wardens from 2015-2019 in the city centre area while Southside Central which takes in Govanhill and the Gorbals had the second highest tally with 4,100 fines.

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Victoria Park, which includes the more affluent areas of  Broomhill, Jordanhill, Thornwood and Whiteinch had the lowest number of fines with just 57 issued in four years.

Unpaid fines can be referred to the procurator fiscal, who can increase the £80 levy to £2,500 if it is not settled but previous research has shown that as little as 46% of fines issued in Glasgow are actually paid.

In the Canadian city of Calgary, which is recognised as the world's cleanest, on the spot fines can be as high as £600.

The council say the fines are not about making money and offenders are offered a ‘fine or time’ penalty, where they can volunteer for a community clean-up.

The data does show the number of fines dropped to its lowest levels in four years in 2019 at 4,601, compared with 13,623 in 2015.

Charlie Fairley, who lives in Glasgow said: “Litter is a real issue, and makes Glasgow look like a tip.Bigger bins is not the solution. 

“Teaching Glaswegians the basics of putting litter in a bin might help, with actual campaigns. 

“It is embarrassing when people, not from Glasgow, come to visit me, and I have tell them to excuse the mess on the streets.”

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However Dr Chris Hand, a psychologist at Glasgow Caledonian University said it is important to recognise that not all litter is deliberate.

He said: “What we know from research is that when people see litter in a place it makes it seems more acceptable for them to litter. 

"A lot of people have been talking on social media about the improvements in the state of streets but what we have seen is a rapid return after restrictions were eased.

“A lot of it comes down to infrastructure.  People may be trying to put their rubbish in bins but for obvious reasons the bins aren’t being collected as often as before.

“We know that people associate increases in litter with crime and violence. It really undermines a lot of confidence. They don’t feel safe and secure.”

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Jon Molyneux, Green councillor for the Pollokshields area of the city, said food businesses must take more responsibility. Glasgow pizza firm Paesano offered to cover recycling costs after pictures emerged of boxes dumped next to bins.

He said: “We need the ‘new normal’ to include forcing the businesses who are ultimately responsible for driving our throwaway culture to change their ways.” 

A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said:  “It’s evident we can all play a part in making our city a cleaner and safer place.  

“We use a range of measures and initiatives to tackle the problem, with an overall focus on prevention and changing behaviour. 

“We  hope the public will be more mindful of the costly consequence of dropping litter as we ease out of lockdown.”