Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Littering

Thursday 13 November 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Catherine Atkinson commended community groups in Derby for keeping the city clean but noted that illegal waste dumping undermines their efforts.
  • The Minister highlighted government actions including helping councils seize vehicles of fly-tippers and introducing five-year prison sentences for illegal waste transportation.
  • Calum Miller reported a significant illegal waste dump in his constituency near the River Cherwell, raising environmental risks.
  • The Minister mentioned a waste crime unit that conducted numerous investigations and orders in the last financial year, and agreed to meet Calum Miller to discuss the issue further.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Catherine Atkinson Lab Derby North
Environment
Context

Community groups in Derby work to keep the city clean, but their efforts are often undermined by illegal dumping of waste.

Question

In Derby, we have fantastic community groups who take pride in keeping our city clean. But this great work is too often undermined by those who dump waste illegally on our streets, private land and green spaces. Will the Minister outline what the Government are doing to tackle waste crime so that my constituents can continue to enjoy clean neighbourhoods?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mary Creagh)

My hon. Friend’s constituents are commended for their important work, supported by the Government who help councils seize vehicles of fly-tippers, force them to clean up their own mess, and introduce new five-year prison sentences for those transporting waste illegally.

Answered
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Q2 Calum Miller Lib Dem Bicester and Woodstock
Environment
Context

A large quantity of illegal plastic waste was dumped on the floodplain adjacent to the River Cherwell, raising concerns about environmental disaster due to resource limitations for enforcement.

Question

Criminals have dumped a mountain of illegal plastic waste 20 feet high and weighing hundreds of tonnes in my constituency on the floodplain adjacent to the River Cherwell. This raises significant environmental risks including rising river levels and potential fire hazards. Given limited resources, will the Minister meet me urgently to discuss what support the Government can offer?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mary Creagh)

We have a waste crime unit that undertook 21 money laundering investigations, six account-freezing orders, and 13 confiscation orders in the last financial year. I am aware of this incident and will meet the hon. Gentleman to discuss it further.

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