Swale council has taken court action against eight people in the first round of prosecutions in a pilot scheme to crack down on litter louts.

In March, cabinet members agreed to budget £25,000 to roll out a campaign to reduce the amount of litter dropped in the borough.

Community wardens, who patrol streets in Sheppey, Sittingbourne and Faversham can impose on-the-spot fines of £60 on those caught dropping rubbish.

Nearly 940 such notices have been handed out in the last six months.

The extra cash covers the cost of additional warden staff and also pays the council’s legal costs when bringing a prosecution for non-payment of fines.

Last Thursday, the first group of people to be prosecuted appeared in Maidstone Magistrates’ Court.

Elizabeth Bishop, of Miller Close, Kemsley, pleaded guilty to dropping a cigarette butt in Central Avenue, Sittingbourne, on April 30.

The 46-year-old was ordered to pay a £50 fine, costs totalling £250 and a £20 victim surcharge.

Sean Frederick, of Hillside Avenue, Rushenden, was found guilty in absence to the same charge in the same location, but one week earlier.

The 28-year-old must pay a £200 fine, costs of £205 and a £20 victim surcharge.

Deborah Linehan, 55, of Appleford Drive, Minster, pleaded guilty to the same charge in St Michael’s Road, Sittingbourne, on April 7.

She was told to pay a £60 fine and a £20 victim surcharge. No order for costs was made.

The rest of the cases were adjourned until next month at the same court.

A Swale council spokesman said: “Cleaning up litter costs council tax payers hundreds of thousands of pounds every year, and people are constantly asking us to take action.

“The fixed-penalty notice (FPN) pilot has seen us take a more proactive role in catching the offenders, and most people acknowledge they are in the wrong and pay the fine straight away.

“Unfortunately, there are some who ignore the FPN, and numerous attempts to encourage them to pay, so we are left with no option but to go to court.”