Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce the level of littering by main roads.

Local councils are responsible for keeping the majority of trunk roads and other, more minor roads clear of litter. In recent years we have bolstered their enforcement powers to tackle roadside litter by giving them powers to issue a civil penalty of between £65 and £150 to the keeper of a vehicle from which litter is thrown.

Last year, we published our report on Litter on the Strategic Road Network having worked closely with DfT and DLUHC which explored the challenges faced by councils in keeping major roads clear of litter. Next steps on tackling the issue were set out in our most recent Litter Strategy Annual Report. These included exploring the potential for making National Highways responsible for keeping the entire Strategic Road Network clear of litter and for National Highways to publish best practice on effective partnership working with councils in respect of litter clearance on the network.