WREXHAM Council looks set to bin its contract with an unpopular litter enforcement company.

The authority is currently the last in north Wales to use Kingdom Services to hand out £75 fines for littering and dog fouling, after the firm either pulled out or lost contracts elsewhere.

But a formal report has now been submitted to a scrutiny committee, recommending to serve three months’ notice on its contract, following concerns that Kingdom has failed to tackle the issue of dog fouling.

It follows a cross-party task and finish group being established to consider a way forward for litter enforcement in the county, who found that only 39 fines were handed out for fouling between November 2017 and May 2018, compared to 2,267 for littering.

The group has recommended that the service be provided in partnership with other councils in the future.

In a report, they said: “The group has concerns that this contract has not had the expected impact.

“The contract has not achieved one of its primary aims in reducing the incidence of dog fouling.

“There is an opportunity to explore the provision of this service on a collaborative basis with other north Wales councils who are currently considering this approach to service provision.”

At a meeting in February 2017, the council’s audit committee expressed concerns in relation to the “zero tolerance” approach adopted to environmental enforcement, which it said was resulting in a significant increase in the number of people taken to court for non-payment

of penalties.

Because of this, committee members were concerned about the impact on the reputation of the council.

The task and finish group said there was little evidence of warnings being issued in instances when people’s actions have been considered to be unintentional.

They said: “There are concerns with regard to the overarching environmental enforcement policy and the “zero tolerance” approach currently in operation.

“Any future provision for environmental enforcement should meet the requirements of the soon to be issued Welsh Government Guidance in respect of FPNs.”

In recent weeks, it was claimed that Kingdom was in breach of its contract in Wrexham, because it only had one staff member operating in the county.

The report states that council officers have held regular monitoring meetings with the company and challenged any contractual issues which have arisen.

The homes and environment scrutiny committee will meet to discuss the proposals on Wednesday.