§ Mr. PawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 7 February,Official Report, column 97, when the central reservation of the M1 in Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire was last cleaned; when it will be cleaned; and what is the programme for cleaning.
§ Mr. KeyIn Bedfordshire, the section between junctions 11 and 13 was cleaned during September and October 1993. South of junction 11, the motorway widening works have prevented the normal cleaning operations, but there will be a litter pick on Saturday 12 February and a full clean of the central reserve in the following week.
719WIn Northamptonshire, daily inspections are carried out and any debris causing a safety hazard to road users is removed straightaway.
On the short intervening section of M1 in Buckinghamshire, junctions 13 to 15, the drainage channel was last cleaned in December 1993 and scavenging was undertaken on 18 to 21 January 1994.
The frequency of future cleaning will be in accordance with the code of practice on litter and refuse under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Motorway central reservations are a special case in the code because of the difficulties of access. In practice, the frequency of cleaning is likely to be about twice a year.