Enforcing litter law

sir – In 2010 I successfully issued a private magistrates’ court prosecution against Herefordshire Council for failing to pick up litter (Letters, March 11) in Hereford.

Councils frequently say that litter is left uncollected because they have insufficient funds or staff. However, under Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, there is an absolute duty on councils to collect litter, and lack of funds or staff is no excuse. Those good souls who volunteer to do councils’ nasty work could save themselves a lot of time by just using the law – Section 91 of the Act – to make councils do what they are already compelled to do by statute. Kip Waistell

Hereford

sir – In the early 1970s, I saw a car parked on the edge of one of my wife’s family woods. I stopped to see why, and found a young man emptying bags of rubbish. I asked him to pick it all up and return it to his car boot. The alternative, I told him, was to report him to the police. He immediately reloaded the rubbish into his car.

I wonder what would happen today. R D Kennedy

Gloucester

sir – I remember the appointment of a litter tsar (Letters, March 11). What exactly did he achieve?

Brian Keeling

Denmead, Hampshire