Fining people for littering, dog fouling and fly-tipping could be worth vast sums to the private company chosen by B&NES Council.

Kingdom Security handed out 1,000 fixed penalty notices a month after it was appointed by Bristol City Council in November, and it is one firm that could bid for the contract.

B&NES Council is following suit, but its fines for littering are now set at the maximum allowed, £150 – so 1,000 fines a month would be worth £1.8million a year, if they are all paid. The fine for fly-tipping is £400. For dog fouling it is £50. Kingdom’s appointment in Bristol has proved controversial. People have complained about fines being wrongly issued, disputes over public and private land and overzealous enforcement officers. One woman even called the police after she was fined for dropping a cigarette butt.

The contract for the year-long pilot scheme will be put out to tender and reviewed after six months. The council’s focus for enforcement has been the city centre, but outsourcing would be able to look at a wider area, seven days a week. Council Leader, Tim Warren, told the Cabinet meeting: “If you don’t throw litter, there’s nothing to target. We have a limited amount of money. We spend close to eighty per cent on social care. If we have to spend money picking up litter, we don’t have money for services.”

S. Sumner