§ Mr. David MartinTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy on keeping road signs clear of foliage; and how it is enforced.
§ Mr. KeyThe trunk roads and motorways for which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is the highway authority are regularly inspected. We have issued instructions to our maintenance agents on the need to cut back vegetation where this obscures sight lines for drivers or their view of traffic signs. We have strongly advised local highway authorities to follow the Department's guidance and standards for maintenance of signs on other roads, and similar standards have been incorporated into the Local Authority Associations' "Code of Good Practice on Highways Maintenance", but we do not have powers to force local highway authorities to comply with them.