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Litter louts who have been caught irresponsibly disposing of rubbish in Sefton have been convicted in court this week, leading to fines totaling more than £1,100

Four people, all from outside the borough, failed to appear at South Sefton Magistrates court this week (Tuesday, March 6) after they were caught littering by enforcement officers.

Lee Caroll of Sefton Road, Walton was found guilty in absence and fined £297.

Lorraine Graham, 56, of Hayes Lane, Altrincham was found guilty in absence and fined £297.

John Patton, 68, of Bishop Bridge Close, Bolton was found guilty in absence and fined £297.

Michaella Kerr, 52, of Warrington Road, Wigan was found guilty in absence and fined £297.

A spokesman for Sefton Council said: “It’s a very simple message. If you drop litter you will be fined £75.

“However there are people who continue to ignore these warnings and are issued with fixed penalty notices.

“But if you fail to pay and your case goes to court, the fine can be considerably higher.

“It’s a criminal offence to litter and we will not hesitate to prosecute those who deliberately make our beautiful borough untidy.

“People need to think twice before just throwing their waste away and court cases like these highlight what can happen if you are caught. Either take it home or use a bin.”

For more information about litter, visit www.sefton.gov.uk/bins-recycling/litter-and-fly-tipping.

Sefton Council has responded to the Government’s Green Paper which has been asking people for their views on measures to improve mental health support for children and young people.

The green paper, ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision’, focuses on earlier intervention and prevention, especially in and linked to schools and colleges.

Cllr John Joseph Kelly, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Safeguarding, said:
“Providing quality emotional and mental health support is vital for children and young people so that they can look forward to a bright future.

“Therefore, we welcome the core proposals in the Government’s green paper which focus on earlier interventions, such as all schools and colleges being supported to train a designated lead to oversee the approach to mental health, and that teams will be set up to locally to address the needs of children and young people with mild to moderate mental health issues.

“Whilst we agree that the green paper is certainly heading in the right direction, the context of where we are starting from in terms of funding, skills and whether this is aspirational enough are just not evident.

“First and foremost, it’s important that these proposals are fully funded and sustained to include an integrated pathway from school to community services to specialist services.

“We think that training provision is crucial for all school staff on emotional wellbeing and mental health and to support them to be able to work with our most vulnerable pupils – not just designated leads and teams.

“Also, we believe that there must be huge efforts to ensure that the views of children and young people are heard in any future development of services and support.

“We truly want to get the best for children and young people and hope the Government addresses these issues.”