§ Mr. Murphyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the efficacy of anti-litter legislation.
§ Mr. Giles ShawUnder the Litter Acts of 1958 and 1971 there are on average 2,000 successful prosecutions in a year. Other statutes such as the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978 and the Control of Pollution Act 1974 contain provisions requiring local authorities to take positive action to abate litter.
However, legislation forms only a part of the Government's overall strategy to overcome the problem of littering. We actively support the Keep Britain Tidy group in its various litter-abatement activities.