Croydon council has admitted it has an army of curtain twitchers who report on crimes such as dog fouling and littering.

The environmental snoopers look out for graffiti and flytipping and also report potholes and street lighting defects.

The council says that there are around 95 Croydon adults who volunteer as “street champions” with an interest in keeping the local environment clean and safe for everyone.

A spokeswoman said: “They act as an extra pair of eyes to help improve the quality of the area where they live and report any environmental problems to their local StreetScene officer to act upon.”

She added that they speak to the officer an average of once every two weeks.

The Daily Telegraph reported that some councils had children as young as eight watching their neighbours and reporting environmental crimes.

Croydon council said that there was no age limit on the people who could apply to the scheme but that no minors had applied to date. It said that if children did want to become street champions then they would need the consent of their parent or guardian.

Shasha Khan, from the Croydon Green Party said: “I can see why we have street champions and I am in favour of adults but I am dead set against getting children involved.”

Doretta Cocks, founder of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection, said that she was shocked by the use of children by councils.

She said: "What sort of world are we bringing them up in? I think it's dreadful for neighbour to spy upon neighbour in that way."

Croydon volunteers agree to attend an induction session. They also sign an agreement saying: “In my role as a street champion I will avoid hazardous situations and I will consider both my own safety and that of others.

“I will endeavour to report to the appropriate authority any situation that poses a risk to the public at the earliest opportunity.”

A council spokesman said: “Street champions have long been regarded as a way of involving residents in maintaining the appearance and upkeep of their surrounding areas – by reporting incidents such as potholes, graffiti and flytipping.

“In addition to helping local people become proud of their areas, the scheme has provided them with a direct link to the council and helped ensure that, when a problem occurs, it can be dealt with in as efficient and timely a way as possible.”

Croydon is not the only London borough to have these volunteers, Southwark council has hundreds of volunteers which include children, as does Ealing council.