Enforcement officers will be getting tough on rubbish, tough on the causes of rubbish - but with more discretion than before.

The workers have been a familiar sight in Croydon since August 2013 when private company Kingdom Security was recruited by Croydon Council to clamp down on littering.

Now the council has brought the staff in house and the councillor responsible for safety and justice said this will make them fairer.

Coun Mark Watson said: "The advantage is they have more discretion about who they issue tickets to and do not have the same commercial motivation as before.

"Sometimes a warning might be more appropriate and engaging with people to get them to change their habits."

He added: "We do want people to change their behaviour and if people are deliberately throwing rubbish down they will get a fine."