PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Nitrous Oxide: Misuse (11 May 2022)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help local authorities tackle litter created as a result of the recreational use of nitrous oxide.

Asked by:
Janet Daby (Labour)

Littering is a criminal offence and in recent years we have bolstered councils’ enforcement powers, such as by almost doubling the maximum fixed penalty for littering from £80 to £150. We have also published guidance for local authorities on the design and placement of bins. Alongside this guidance, we provided nearly £1 million across 44 councils to help them purchase new bins to keep litter off the streets.

Councils also have powers to issue Public Spaces Protection Orders. These are a wide-ranging tool which councils can use to prohibit specified activity in a public place where it has a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality, such as the recreational use of nitrous oxide.

Where nitrous oxide is supplied either knowingly or recklessly for its psychoactive effect, the maximum offence under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 is seven years’ imprisonment.

Answered by:
Jo Churchill (Conservative)
16 May 2022