1,000 litter prosecutions in Peterborough over three year period

In total, the authority carried out 1,032 prosecutions between 2018 and 2020, with 845 cases leading to verdicts of guilty in absence.

A further 74 people pleased guilty to the offence, while 114 cases were withdrawn.

Both acquittals came in 2018, while no prosecutions were carried out in 2017.

Figures released following a Freedom of Information request show the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) handed out in Peterborough for littering rose from 111 in 2016 to 3,037 in 2017 - the year the council began a partnership with private firm Kingdom Services Group to carry out enforcement of anti-social behaviour in and around the city centre.

In total, 8,364 FPNs for littering were handed out between 2017 and 2019, with £417,625 collected. Of those, 5,479 were paid while 984 were either written off or cancelled, with the rest mostly left unpaid or sent for prosecution.

The numbers fell sharply in 2020 - the year Kingdom’s partnership with the council ended - with only 345 fines handed out.

Adding in all offences, and not just littering, Kingdom Services Group issued 12,731 fixed penalty notices in Peterborough from June 2017 to January 2020 under two contracts with the city council.

The first, which ran until early 2019, saw the private company keep the entirety of the £80 fines it handed out, while the second saw takings split £45-£35 between Kingdom and the council.

However, the partnership was terminated due to growing concerns about the tactics of some of Kingdom’s officers, which were thought by some to be heavy-handed, while the most minor offenders were also alleged to have been targeted.

Figures revealed by the Peterborough Telegraph show that the first contract with the council netted Kingdom £430,497, with the second bringing in £156,744 - a total of £587,241.

Offences punished included spitting and unauthorised cycling in Bridge Street.