Controversial litter enforcement team Kingdom have been awarded a new contract that could see its officers operate in Wirral for SIX more years.

The news means a three-year extension of the council’s first environmental enforcement contract, which has been in place since 2015 and covers offences like dog fouling and littering.

But the decision by Wirral council, revealed on Monday, also has the option of extending the contract for a further three years to a total of six – stretching to 2024.

The private firm’s squad, who also operate in Liverpool, have handed out a huge number of fines across Wirral since 2015, with some officers patrolling in plain clothes as they attempt to catch people in the act of dropping litter.

But the local authority has reinstated Kingdom after saying it has “proven to be successful in tackling key environmental crimes such as littering and dog fouling”.

The official notice, published on Monday, said: “The vast majority of Wirral’s residents are proud of the borough and want to do the right thing to cherish and protect the local environment.

“However there is a sizeable minority of residents and visitors who do not respect Wirral’s environment and damage or defile it through irresponsible and illegal actions.

“There is more work to be done over time and, through the deterrent of enforcement action, to achieve the behaviour change being sought.”

Cllr Ian Lewis, leader of the Conservatives group on Wirral council, said he was “concerned” at the news, and how it will combine with the current Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) consultation on dogs being banned from some areas of the borough.

He explained: “Today’s decision to extend Kingdom’s contract, potentially until 2024, is poorly timed, coming in the middle of a consultation on giving them more powers to enforce Labour’s proposed dog ban plan. Will Kingdom still want the contract if the dog ban doesn’t come into force?

“I also disagree with Labour’s opinion that Kingdom have been successful in tackling dog fouling. Over the last 12 months, barely 200 fines have been issued for dog fouling in residential areas, compared to more than 7,000 for littering. Many residential roads are still blighted because of the dog mess not picked up by a minority of owners.

“The cabinet member needs to demonstrate how he will deal with that issue, before giving Kingdom the powers to enforce a ban on dogs in other parts of the borough.“

The council said as yet, there was no mention in the proposed PSPO of Kingdom, as it was still at consultation stage.

A spokesman added: “The initial environmental enforcement contract was due to expire and had to be renewed at this time. The decision to award the contract to Kingdom for a further three years was taken as a result of a thorough competitive tendering process.”

Cllr Matthew Patrick, cabinet member for environment, said: “I cannot understand why the Tories are opposed to Labour’s zero tolerance approach to dog fouling and littering.

“Since the summer of 2015, the council has had a contract in place to tackle littering and dog fouling. Tens of thousands of fines have been issued to people who think it is ok to litter or not to pick up after their dog.

“This decision strengthens our previous contract. The message is clear: We will not tolerate littering or dog fouling on our beautiful open spaces.”

Kingdom was also contacted for comment.