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

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the duties of a local authority for clearing, or paying to clear, waste illegally placed by third parties (1) within 10 metres of a public highway for which the local authority is responsible, and (2) on private land more than 10 metres from such a highway; what assessment they have made of the implications where waste is illegally left by third parties (not the landowner or occupier) beyond 10 metres from the highway; and whether they intend to take any steps as a result.

Local authorities have a duty to keep their public land clear of litter and refuse and they have enforcement powers to help them tackle fly-tipping. We encourage local authorities to investigate all incidents of fly-tipping, including those on private land, and make good use of their enforcement powers.

An assessment of the implications of waste illegally left by third parties beyond 10 metres from the highway has not been made.

Landowners are responsible for land that they own. We appreciate the difficulty and cost that fly-tipping poses to landowners and we are working with a wide range of interested parties through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, such as the National Farmers Union, to promote and disseminate good practice, including how to prevent fly-tipping on private land.

We have committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess they have created. We are also taking steps to develop statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance for local authorities and are conducting a review of council powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.