Huge rise as 5,000 fines issued for dropping litter in Wolverhampton

The city council brought in private firm Kingdom Security in August 2015 to catch out people dropping litter and £243,966 was dished out in on-the spot fines during the 2015/16 financial year.

It is a dramatic increase in the number of £75 fines compared to the previous year. In 2014/15 just 25 fixed penalty notices were issued.

In addition, that year there was only one unpaid fine, compared to 942 in 2015/16.

On top of Kingdom Security's patrols, 48 members of the council are also authorised to hand out fines.

Former Mayor and current UKIP councillor in Spring Vale, Malcolm Gwinnett, says councillors should be out on the street rather than private firms.

He said: "People need educating on the matter – speaking to and being told to pick up rubbish before the fine. I think that's a job councillors could do with all the cut backs – we are elected to serve the people, why shouldn't we have the power to do that?

"When there's people from the council being made redundant, it doesn't seem right that a private firm is being hired, it's in their interests to charge people."

The council pays Kingdom £45 per fixed penalty notice issued, with the remaining £30 used by the council to help meet the cost of providing Wolverhampton's environmental enforcement service, including the removal of fly-tipping.

Councillor Steve Evans, the Cabinet Member for City Environment wants a 'zero-tolerance approach' to littering.

He said: "The council takes the problem of littering seriously and residents, businesses and visitors are united in wanting a zero-tolerance approach to the issue.

"Last year we appointed Kingdom Security to provide a highly visible team of enforcement officers who are on hand to issue on the spot fixed penalty notices of £75 to people either caught dropping litter, cigarette butts or chewing gum on the street or who let their dogs foul without picking it up.

"This demonstrates that the council means business when it comes to tackling the minority of anti-social people who litter our streets, and on the whole the response from the public has been very positive."

Last month, we revealed that thousands of smokers were left gasping after being fined more than £800,000 in the past 17 months for stubbing out their cigarettes on city streets.