HL Deb 30 July 1997 vol 582 cc72-3WA
Lord Colwyn

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether in view of the continuing public disregard of the law governing the proper disposal of litter, including chewing gum, they will (a) estimate the annual cost of cleaning pavements in major cities in the United Kingdom; (b) confirm that it is an offence to drop chewing gum on the pavement; and (c) consider legislation to make manufacturers of chewing gum partially liable for the cost of its removal.

Baroness Hayman

Information on the cost of cleaning pavements in major cities in the United Kingdom is not collected centrally. The estimated cost of street cleansing for London Boroughs, the City of London and English Metropolitan Districts in 1997–98 is £158 million.

It is an offence under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to drop anything in a public place which causes the defacement of that place by litter. It is for the courts to decide in the circumstances of the case whether the dropping of chewing gum constituted a littering offence.

The Tidy Britain Group, which is largely funded by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, is currently working with a major chewing gum manufacturer to establish both effective cleansing methods and ways of reducing the problem in the first place. We have no plans for the kind of legislation which the noble Lord has suggested.