Concerns raised by residents and businesses have resulted in Thanet District Council introducing new fixed penalty fines to crack down on people spitting and urinating in the street.
The £80 fines are part of the local authority’s crackdown on anti-social behaviour, including littering and dog fouling.
A Thanet council spokesman said: “We have introduced a new fine of £80 fixed penalty notice for people caught spitting and urinating in the street in Thanet.
“The introduction is in direct response to concerns raised by residents and businesses and will run in conjunction with the ongoing enforcement action which is currently taking place across the district for littering and dog fouling.”
Kingdom Security
The penalties are issued by enforcement officers from Kingdom Security Limited, which won a new three-year contract with Thanet council last September.
In the first year of working on the isle during the pilot scheme Kingdom officers issued more than 3,300 fixed penalty notices, of £80, to those caught dropping litter or not cleaning up after their dog.
Kingdom works for eight Kent councils but were caught in controversy last month when a Panorama investigation revealed staff were bagging bonuses for dishing out tickets on questionable grounds.
Thanet council said a new team was put in place and work will be ‘monitored.’
Flytippers
The council spends £1.2 million a year cleaning the district’s streets.
In March Thanet council launched a crackdown on flytippers blighting the isle.
In the past 12 months in Thanet there have been nearly 1,700 fly-tipping incidents, costing the council a total of £109,550 to clean up more than 1,500 tonnes of waste.
The authority launched its #CrimeNotToCare campaign, in partnership with environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.