Written question asked by Greg Knight (Conservative) on Wednesday, 23 May 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 4 June 2007. It was answered by Stephen Ladyman (Labour) on Monday, 4 June 2007 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Roads: Litter

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent in the last 12 months in each Highways Agency area by them on litter collection; what further action he plans to take to reduce rubbish being dumped on the public highway; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 places a duty on the Highways Agency to remove litter from motorways in England. Responsibility for removing litter from the all purpose trunk road network, with the exception of DBFO managed roads, lies with local authorities.Litter collection on motorways is one of the numerous duties carried out as part of the Highways Agency's routine maintenance function, and costs for individual activities are not recorded separately. It is therefore not possible to provide costs for litter collection.Responsibility for enforcing the law against leaving litter, as defined in section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, lies with local authorities and the police.

Secondary information