Car owners face fines if passengers litter But tackling the anti-social behaviour of drivers and their passengers remains a problem. According to the Highways Agency says that enough rubbish is strewn on the country's major roads to fill 700,000 bin bags a year. "However, we are aware that identifying an offender can in itself lead to an extra challenge and that is why we will be watching with interest the situation in London," Mrs Spelman is ready to tell the summit. Mrs Spelman will unveil her plans at a "litter summit" in Whitehall on Tuesday, which will be attended by the motoring industry, the Keep Britain Tidy campaign and local government representatives. "Litter and rubbish strewn about can make people feel an area is uncared for or unsafe," she is expected to say. The enclosure created by cars, taxis or lorries can often make the perpetrator feel anonymous. This is the latest in a series of initiatives by successive Governments to tackle the scourge of littering. During the 1980s Richard Branson was appointed Britain's "Litter Tsar" by Margaret Thatcher. The proposed changes have been welcomed by David Parsons, the chairman of the Local Government Association Environment Board. "Car litter louts who blight our countryside and cost council taxpayers millions in clean-up costs are currently getting away scot free thanks to a legal loophole," he said. It's time to get tough on lazy, selfish people who toss rubbish from moving cars and expect other people to cover the cost of cleaning it up. There was also backing from the AA. "We have generally supported the idea of people who litter from cars," said a spokesman. There is substantial support backing from our members. In fact sixty one per cent of them loathe litter louts so much they think they should get points on their licence. We believe liability should rest with the person behind the wheel at the time and not the owner of the car. This would mean the law would apply in the same way as other motoring offences such as speeding and jumping red lights, where the driver is responsible. The move was also backed by the Campaign to Protect Rural England. "This is something we support, " a spokesman said. We think it could work in the same way as seat belt enforcement or speeding fine, where a driver is responsible for what goes on in their vehicle and should make sure nobody litters from their car and despoils our countryside. I think a fine is OK for the time being and see if that works. As its not a driving offence we would go for, but it should not be ruled out in the long term. According to research by Keep Britain Tidy, 23 per cent of motorists have admitted dropping litter out of their car windows. The reason they do it is because they feel the won't be seen and won't be caught. 'Although fining is just one of the means by which we can change people's behaviour and we need to educate people about the impact of litter on our neighbourhoods.