Responsibility for clearing litter from motorways and roads
The sections of trunk roads where Highways England retains the responsibility for sweeping and cleaning.
Documents
Details
There are several pieces of legislation allocating responsibility for refuse collection on motorways and trunk roads:
- The Highways Act of 1980 provides for Statutory Instruments (SI) to enable a stretch of road and slip road to be designated as a ‘special road’ (ie. a motorway).
- The Environmental Protection Act of 1990 makes a distinction between special roads, which are the responsibility of the Secretary of State; and trunk roads, which are the responsibility of the local authority.
There are some exceptions, covering a small number of roads, where the Act allows the Secretary of State to transfer responsibilities.
Reporting litter and debris
To find out who is responsible for clearing litter and debris from local roads visit: https://www.gov.uk/reporting-road-obstruction