The number of fines handed out by a controversial litter policing service in Bexley has almost tripled, new figures reveal.

Bexley Council hired Kingdom on a trial basis in 2016 to crack down on littering in the borough and made the service permanent earlier this year.

The council has a “zero-tolerance” attitude towards litterbugs, having named and shamed those caught by Kingdom officers during a contentious media campaign last year.

Now, new figures revealed through a Freedom of Information request show how many penalty notices Kingdom has given out since its tenure began.

In 2016, 1,378 fines were handed out, a number that has increased to 3,292 last year and is at 3,250 so far this year.

On top of that, there have been 495 successful court prosecutions by the council.

Kingdom was subjected to criticism last year after a Panorama investigation alleged officers were being paid bonuses and using pressuring tactics on people accused of littering.

At the time, the council said the programme was not an “accurate picture” of the service in Bexley.

Despite the headlines, Bexley Council has only received 11 complaints about the service since 2016 – of which only one was partly upheld.

One complaint was for communication, three for officer conduct – one partly upheld and four for policy and legal matters.

The council received two complaints for its decision to name and shame in social media and the local press – neither of which were upheld.

A spokesman for the council said: “The service provided by Kingdom has been a great success in combating environmental offences.

“Since implementing the service, year-on-year complaints relating to the cleanliness of the borough have reduced by around 20 per cent.

“The service has been reviewed throughout since it began in October 2016. In July it was made a permanent aspect to the council’s work in keeping the borough clean.

“In addition to issuing fixed penalty notices to littering offenders, the service has produced 495 convictions through the magistrates court for those who refused to pay their fines for this criminal activity.”

The number one reason for being hit with a fine is dropping a cigarette butt, according to the figures, followed by spitting and chewing gum and lastly “printed materials”.

The council said offenders caught dropping cigarette butts are offered a 50 per cent refund if they complete a free stop smoking course.

Last year 94 per cent of Kingdom officers’ time was spent issuing fines for cigarette butts.

Keep Britain Tidy, a charity working to crack down on litter, said smokers were making up the majority of litter in the UK.

Chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: “The results of our latest national litter survey show that cigarette butts are still the most littered item and millions of them are dropped on our streets, parks and beaches every year.

“They are plastic and full of toxic chemicals that kill marine life. The solution is simple, if you smoke  please  put your butts in a personal ashtray or bin – our environment is not a giant ashtray. That way you are not contributing to the problem and can also avoid a hefty fine.”