HC Deb 19 November 2003 vol 413 cc925-6W
Mr. Paul Marsden

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents since 1997 have been caused by missiles thrown from bridges over(a) motorways and (b) trunk roads. [138882]

Mr. Jamieson

Police and Highways Agency procedures for recording details of incidents on motorways and trunk roads do not support identifying those caused by missiles being thrown from bridges.

Mr. Paul Marsden

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures the Government is taking to reduce the number of incidents caused by missiles thrown from bridges over motorways and trunk roads. [138883]

Mr. Jamieson

The Agency is tackling the problem of missiles thrown from bridges and trunk roads in several different ways.

These include education initiatives, visits to schools by Police and local Road Safety officers, to make younger children more aware of the consequences of this type of activity. The Agency is also looking to support the Police in implementing additional enforcement measures, including increased CCTV coverage and warning notices on the approaches to problem sites. The Agency has also incorporated guidance on measures to prevent missile throwing within the latest version of its standard for the design of footbridges.