Kingdom are gone, with the controversial enforcement company's contract within the Conwy county coming to an end last Friday.

Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC) said the level of enforcement is set to drop dramatically as they search for an alternative method of litter and dog fouling enforcement in Kingdom's absence.

A task and finish group, comprising councillors, has been established to come up with a long term solution for the issuing of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) and environmental enforcement which could include bringing the service back in-house.

In the meantime CCBC said they still have the power to issue FPNs but urged members of the public to pick up after themselves.

A CCBC spokesperson said: "The Council is rightly proud of its clean and pleasant environment and we urge members of the public to continue to play their part to maintain the standards that we have come to enjoy – for the benefit of our residents and visitors.

"The Council is setting up a Task and Finish Group of Councillors to look at how we might go about holding irresponsible people to account for littering and for failing to clean up after their dogs.

"That group will look at a range of options including a new in-house team, letting a different type of contract and working with other organisations such as other local authorities.

"It will take some months for that Task and Finish Group to come up with and implement a longer term solution.

"In the meantime we do still have the ability to issue Fixed Penalty Notices where necessary, although it’s inevitable in the interim that the level of enforcement activity will be less than in recent times.

"Therefore we renew our plea to members of the public to act responsibly and clear up after themselves and their dogs."

Details about the task and finish group are set to be discussed at the CCBC overview and scrutiny committee meeting today.

Key questions outlined in a report - to be presented to the committee tomorrow - the task and finish group will need to answer include should environmental enforcement take place, what service model should operate and how should that model operate.

The report said: "Enforcement must be exercised in such a way as to uphold public confidence in a fair judicial system.

"A review of the different potential Environmental Enforcement service models and arrangements will take place to enable the council to determine what, if any, arrangements it should put in place for environmental enforcement."

The group is expected to complete work and present its findings by April 2019.