More than half of the court summonses sent to people in central Dublin over littering offences in the first three months of the year were returned unsigned for.
Cllr Ciarán Cuffe (Green Party) said it appeared as if many people refused to sign for the letter, meaning it gets returned and the prosecution fails.
“If we’re issuing summonses and people aren’t signing for them, they’re just laughing at us. There has to be a better way of doing this,” he said.
When someone fails to pay or appeal a litter fine within 21 days, Dublin City Council issues a reminder. If the fine remains unpaid for a further two weeks, the council initiates a prosecution which involves a court summons being sent via registered post.
Dismissed
Of 84 prosecutions sought between January and March this year, just 13 were successful. Three were settled out of court, 12 were struck out mostly in lieu of late payment, seven were adjourned, one was dismissed and one appealed.
In 47 cases, the court summonses were returned after their intended recipients failed to sign for them.
Brian Hanney of the council’s waste management division said returned summonses pose a significant obstacle to securing a successful prosecution for littering.
