A few years ago there was many a red-faced titter after Bill Bryson (OBE) described his visit to Liverpool as coinciding with a 'festival of litter'.
The Culture Company went as far as to hold its own festival of litter to try and persuade people to tidy up the city.
It hasn't really worked.
And now, 12 months before we're expecting a great influx of people, Liverpool is as litter-strewn as ever.
I was walking along Moorfields, for example, this morning and found I had to sidestep dozens of discarded Merseyrail tickets and other paperwork which had obviously blown out of a bin bag dumped outside the station.
Then I wandered across a car park. Or waded, more like, through the detritus.
And don't even mention the new paving in Church Street. OK, so it's half-finished and looks a real mess. But it doesn't help when prats have already plastered it in chewing gum patches.
Even my own street in south Liverpool has got so bad the local councillors have demanded action.
I don't really blame the street cleaners. It's a thankless, Groundhog Day task.
I blame the people of Liverpool, me included.
Now, I don't drop litter. I put it in bins, or in my pocket, or bag, and wait until I get home to throw it away.
But I'm too fearful of getting abused or beaten up to say anything when I see someone else dropping it.
And there are some thoughtless, ignorant pigs out there.
They know who they are. They just don't care.
Smokers, chewers, spitters, and plain litterers from the thicko kids who kick burger cartons up the street to those who frankly should know better.
Until we take a bit of pride and responsibility, Liverpool will continue to hold its festival of litter.
By 2008, if the litterers work on it, it could be right up there with the Mathew Street Festival.
What a prospect! The visitors will remember Liverpool Capital of Culture for a long time.
N Senior wrote...
I so agree with this. I lived in Liverpool for 5 years and the one thing that annoyed and angered me more than anything else is some people's inability to carry their litter to the nearest bin. I did comment when people dropped litter but I was making myself a target for attack.
I thought that maybe instead of employing people to pick up the litter they should employ litter wardens - hundreds of them - to fine people on the spot when they drop litter. Maybe then the litter issue could be cracked for now and future generations. I can't think of any other way round the problem. Although in theory people can be fined for dropping litter I don't think it's enforced. I want to see a huge taskforce on the streets of Liverpool fining people when they drop the slightest bit of litter. Does anyone have any other ideas about how to deal with this? This is the only one I can think of. Liverpool can build and re-genrate all they like but until this problem is solved it will always have the reputation as a litter strewn city.
I now live in Sydney and i have to say I cannot find a scrap of litter on the streets - I have watched teenagers carry their litter to the nearest bin and never seen anyone drop litter on the ground. The attitudes are so different.
Posted by: N Senior | January 15, 2007 7:06 AM