Time we squashed fly-tippers.

Byline: Joe Riley

THERE are the several faces of Liverpool: epicentre of Beatles international; a great soccer city; the place with most listed buildings outside London; and now its rising status as an eating out destination a league on from a plate of Scouse.

But there is also fly-tipping Liverpool, with an incredible 54,000 incidents in the past two years - two thirds of them involving household waste, the rest from businesses, still dumping "on an industrial scale".

It''s a wonder we haven''t single-handedly been responsible for the return of the plague.

Out of 820,000 logged fly-tipping incidents nationwide last year, there were a paltry 2,500 prosecutions.

Clearly the only answer is some high profile court cases, with suitably draconian penalties, even if that means firms going out of business.

Council cuts have left many roadside verges unmown, full of seeding dandelions and clover. Amazing how householders who mow their lawns cannot just go the extra distance by a couple of yards - if only to off-set the appearance of their own properties. So much for the Big Society.