MORE than 400 fines were slapped on litter bugs in south west Hampshire last year - raising nearly £16,000, figures have revealed.

But an offender's chances of getting caught depended heavily on where the litter was dropped, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs figures show.

Most of the £75 fixed penalty notices were dished out in Southampton, where 276 people were fined in 2006/7. The council managed to secure payment on 92 per cent of the fines, raising £11,625 over the year.

Test Valley Borough Council handed out the second highest number of fines, with 123 slapped on litter bugs. The council managed to collect cash for 90 per cent of fines issued - raising £4,275.

The rest of councils in south west Hampshire seemed reluctant to use their powers to tackle the nuisance behaviour.

Fareham and Gosport handed out just four fines each. The New Forest, Winchester and Eastleigh - as well as the Isle of Wight - appeared not to have handed out any fines for littering at all.

The failure of some councils to use their powers bucked the national trend for greater use of fixed penalty notices.

The government said local authorities issued more penalty notices for littering than ever before - and more people were paying up when they got caught.

The total number of fixed penalty notices issued for litter across England rose by 32 per cent from 33,033 in 2005/6 to 43,624 in 2006/07.

Jonathan Shaw, minister for local environment quality, said: "Ask communities what concerns them most about the area they live in and litter is near the top of the list. Residents are right to expect their council to take a tough stance.

"I'm encouraged to see that more local authorities are using the powers government has provided to penalise people who are ruining our streets with thoughtless offences like littering.

"But fixed penalty notices are only effective if local authorities take steps to ensure that they are paid - and, if they're not, that effective action is taken at local level. I'm pleased to see this has followed with an increase in payment rates, although there is still more to do.

"Fixed penalty notices are just one weapon that local authorities can use in the drive to reduce costly street cleansing."

Ian Clayton, deputy chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: "Fining is a crucial tool in achieving clean streets especially when coupled with campaigning and education."