Research carried out by Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) and An Taisce found that the Irish capital had the most litter on its street in a survey of nine European capitals.

The other cities examined included Riga, Vienna, Strasbourg, Cologne, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Zurich, Stockholm and Amsterdam. Overall, the Latvian capital was deemed to be the cleanest city surveyed.

Dr Tom Cavanagh, chairman of the IBAL, said that the situation was “unacceptable” and that the litter was having a detrimental effect on business investment.

“Dublin is a thriving, modern European city with a global reputation, a very high cost of living but a chronic litter problem,” he said.

“Businesses in particular are not being held accountable for the litter outside their premises as the Litter Act states, and we call on the Minister for the Environment to address this along with the Dublin city manager. Enforcement does not add to the cost.”

In September, the on-the-spot fine for those caught littering in the Irish capital increased from Euro 125 to Euro 150.

At the time, Environment Minister John Gormley said that the move would send out a clear message that Government ministers were serious about tacking litter problems in the country.

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