PEOPLE are being urged to "take pride in Bradford" and clean up after themselves after littering fine hotspots were revealed in the district.

More than 400 fines have been handed out over the last four years, leading to the council collecting more than £26,000.

In 2012/13, 150 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) were issued, there were 86 given out in 2013/14, 106 in 2014/15 and 76 up to mid-February in 2015/16.

The amount collected in fines, including prosecutions, over the same period, was £26,467 - £10,790 in 2012/13; £5,749 in 2013/14; £6,298 in 2014/15 and £3,630 in 2015/16.

The figures, released to the Telegraph & Argus under a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, showed most FPNs, 157, were dished out in the Bradford city ward. The FOI response stressed that "corresponded directly" to where most wardens worked.

"There are more staff in the city centre that can witness offences and issue FPNs compared to other wards," it added.

The FPNs also includes instances where people have thrown rubbish out of car windows.

In Bowling and Barkerend, 22 notices were issued and there were 15 in Shipley.

City ward councillor Councillor Ruqayyah Collector (Bradford Independent Group) said residents needed to take more responsibility for keeping the streets tidy and "take pride in Bradford".

"I'm not that surprised that the city ward has topped the list," she said.

"Being within the city centre on the gateway, there are plenty of shops around there.

"It's disappointing. It is now about better enforcement and changing the culture that it's not acceptable to leave litter in Bradford.

"It's just sad that people can't be bothered to clean up their own streets. People need to take responsibility for themselves.

"People need to have personal pride in their city.

"We need to be doing more enforcements so people know that throwing litter is not acceptable."

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Councillor Martin Love (Shipley, Green Party) said he hoped the risk of receiving a fine would deter people from dropping rubbish, but many people would be getting away without a fine because they were not caught.

"I hope people will see these figures and realise that there is a very good chance that they will get caught.

"When they drop litter, they are spoiling the Shipley town centre.

"Where the FPNs have been handed out is where the wardens are. There is a lot more people littering than the 15 people caught in Shipley.

"We need to deter people from doing it. There are plenty of bins around, there is no need to do it. Littering is a very anti-social practice.

"People need to know that if they are causing the problem themselves and they get caught, they will be fined."

In the Keighley central and Little Horton wards 14 littering offences were recorded. In Bolton and Undercliffe 11 FPNS were issued and there were ten in Toller.

Keighley East recorded nine fines and there were eight in Eccleshill and Manningham.

There were seven FPNs issued in the Bradford Moor ward, and the same for Heaton.

Councillor Arshad Hussain, Bradford Council's portfolio holder for neighbourhood and community safety, condemned people who dropped litter, saying it diverted money away from other essential services.

"The council takes a dim view on littering in any part of the district and the city centre is particularly important as an area where we are actively encouraging businesses to relocate and visitors to come and enjoy the cultural life of the city and the new shopping experiences that have opened recently," he said.

"We are looking to increase our enforcement in the city centre to combat this thoughtless act that diverts money away from essential services such as looking after vulnerable people to picking up after people who can't be bothered to carry their litter to the nearest litter bin or take it home."

Wardens and police community support officers have powers to hand out on the spot fines for litter. People caught dropping litter face a £75 FPN or a maximum fine of £2,500 in court.

The Council started a crackdown on cigarette tab ends littering the district in August last year. Wardens have put signs on lamp posts to make people aware of the consequences.

l Councillors Love and Collector are standing for election next month.