Thousands of motorists who litter Britain's roads every day are escaping penalty because of a bureaucratic blunder.
An extension of powers to help local councils to track down and fine motorists who throw rubbish from their vehicles has been put on hold after the changes in legislation needed were made to the wrong law.
A trial in London, which would have paved the way for a national policy, has been abandoned as a result. It would have enabled local councils to use evidence collected from closed-circuit television footage and by traffic wardens to fine littering motorists.
But changes to the Environmental Protection Act, which were required to give councils extra powers, were made to an outdated version of the legislation and so the Bill could not pass through Parliament.
The Local Government Association (LGA) said yesterday that, as a result, a loophole remained open and motorists could drop litter with impunity.
Local authorities blame motorists for a significant portion of the 25 million tonnes of rubbish that is collected in Britain each year.
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