‘it’s not about making money’

A council spokesman said: “Our wardens are contracted to issue fines to those who deliberately drop litter in Ashford and Tenterden.

“They are trained to take a fair but firm approach when dealing with people caught littering. We are led to believe that the officers are salaried by Kingdom and do not have a target for issuing fines.

“The litter enforcement campaign is not about making money – it’s about trying to stop people littering, and improving the environment to make Ashford a cleaner and tidier place.

“In light of the recent Panorama programme on litter enforcement, together with Kingdom we have decided to take this opportunity to give our wardens some important additional staff training exercises so they can continue operating fairly and effectively. “It is a shame we’ve had to take a tough approach to tackle littering in the borough, despite launching a long- term anti-littering campaign to discourage this type of behavior. “We are determined to deal with litter louts so Ashford looks clean and tidy for all its residents and visitors. “Our wardens have a difficult job, but despite the recent negative portrayal of the scheme in the media, our community has been very supportive. “Not only have our wardens received positive comments in person when they have been on patrol but we have also had positive feedback from our social media feeds and in the comment section under the news articles on Kent Online.”