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The controversial garbage collector was hired by the local authorities in the summer because the garbage was piled up in the beaches and parks in an area, and 96% of the fines were imposed on people who threw cigarette butts.

The Canterbury City Council accepted a three-month trial by the private law enforcement company Kingdom LA Support in August, hoping that this move will combat trash dumping.

However, data released by the committee showed that of the 272 fines issued during the first nine weeks of the pilot, 260 were for people who discarded cigarette butts.

Only one person was notified of penalties for any other type of littering (throwing of chewing gum), while the remaining 11 people were penalized for illegal dog behavior and spitting.

The results of the investigation have led to claims that guards treat smokers as "easy picks" instead of focusing on areas that are often littered.

Since the start of the trial in August, 21 complaints have been received from law enforcement officials, including hints that they are monitoring people smoking to see if they discard cigarette butts.

Last week, KentOnline saw a warden in action at a bus station in the city.

A warden talking to a garbage man who lost his cigarette butt

A police officer saw a smoker drop his cigarette on the sidewalk and approached the criminal. He talked to him, but no ticket was issued.

Then our reporter approached the criminal and he said: "It's just a cigarette butt.

"I picked it up, I usually put the trash in my pocket. I admit it may be wrong."

The Kingdom was also charged with similar charges when it signed a contract with the city council from 2014 to 2016.

Its guards were branded overzealous in hunting down smokers and notoriously fined a retired couple who threw cherry pits in the city center.

After the release of the fine notice data, City Council Labor Party leader Cllr Dave Wilson lashed out at the decision to re-employ Kingdom and called for a policy change.

"It's disappointing, but predictable," he said.

"We told the council that this will happen, just like the kingdom did last time. They only focus on simple goals, which is a simple and good thing-they have a good reputation in this area.

"It has nothing to do with the problem of littering, and it has nothing to do with changing behavior.

"It would be great if [the service] can solve the rubbish that blows down the edges, or the rubbish thrown in the trash can instead of thrown in the trash can, but it is not the case-the policy is a mess.

"I'm not saying that the solution is easy, but there needs to be a long-term approach."

Cllr Ashley Clark, the chief member of the law enforcement agency, defended the fines for throwing cigarette butts, emphasizing the pervasive nature of such violations.

"If you go to photograph birds, you will get a lot of photos of sparrows because they are the most common, not a lot of red kites or golden eagles," the Conservative Party said.

"Catch people who litter cigarette butts are the easiest thing to spot, so of course, there will be more of them compared to other crimes.

"It's much more difficult to get people to dump bottles and jars because they usually happen at night and night."

Cllr Clark also said that the facts have proved that solving the beach trash problem is a difficult task for the Kingdom Guards, because the three-month trial was mainly carried out in the autumn, when dumping trash was not a big problem.

"If garbage collectors start working next summer, I think there will be more varieties," he said.

"We hope to pay more attention to our beaches, where we will be able to deploy them in summer to catch criminals."

Since the fine for discarding cigarette butts is £150, since the start of the trial, so far, more than £15,500 has been earned from criminals who cough.

A large part (70%) of the cash flow went to the kingdom, and the city council received 30%.

Authorities say that hiring law enforcement companies can free up their employees to focus on more serious matters, such as dumping garbage, illegally carrying waste, and illegally collecting scrap metal.

In total, there were 139 fines in Northgate, 109 in Westgate, 8 in Tankerton, 7 in Herne and Broomfield, 5 in Sturry, 3 in Wincheap, and only 1 in Reculver.

Of the 272 fines, only 109 have been paid so far.

The committee’s community committee will discuss a three-month trial on Wednesday and decide whether to sign a full-time contract with a private security company. If agreed, the service will be tendered in accordance with the recommendations of city council officials.

In a report, City Council Law Enforcement Manager Lacy Dixon further defended the main focus on littering cigarette butts.

"Although some people may think this seems to be'easy to pick', it should be pointed out that cigarette filters are the most common garbage item in England, accounting for 68% of all garbage items, and the British local authorities spend about 40 million pounds each year to clean up the garbage. . Clean them up," she said.

"The vast majority of cigarette butts are disposable plastics, and once they are smoked, they contain hundreds of toxic chemicals."

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