SIR – The battle to keep our roadsides clear of litter is seemingly never-ending, and is not helped by the legal loophole that lets litter louts get away with it.

Currently, the Council can’t take effective action against people who throw litter out of their cars because the existing law requires a proven identity of the individual who threw the litter, rather than just proving that litter was thrown from the car in the first place.

I support the work being done by the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the Local Government Association and Keep Britain Tidy to amend the existing law, so that whoever owns the vehicle is responsible for what is thrown out of it, similar to the laws on speeding, wearing seat belts and fly-tipping work.

There must be plenty of councils, citizens and motorists who are sick of roadside litter. Clearing it up is expensive and dangerous and this simple change to the law would provide our council with an effective deterrent against the careless and thoughtless behaviour of litterers.

I would like to encourage your readers to write to their MP about the issue – there is a draft letter available at cpre.org.uk.

Tim Whitcombe, Javelin Close, Idle