Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the powers local councils hold to prevent littering on roads.

The responsibility for clearing highway litter and sweeping carriageways is governed by the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Each individual highway authority is responsible for clearing litter on the roads for which they are responsible. In the case of some all-purpose trunk roads, the responsibility for clearing litter falls to the local district councils.