A Suffolk peer is hopeful his proposal, which would see people penalised for throwing rubbish out of vehicles, will come into effect.

Lord Marlesford has campaigned to close a loophole which allows passengers to escape fines for leaving litter on roads for years,

Currently if a driver is carrying passengers it is almost impossible to prosecute as it is difficult to prove who committed the offence.

Under Lord Marlesford’s proposal the driver of the car would be penalised – unless the culprit owned up.

His amendment to the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill, which has now become law, was accepted.

But the Conservative peer said further work would be needed before police or councils could fine people.

“We have now got to wait for the Government to make an order to bring into effect the litter part of the act,” Lord Marlesford said.

“What the Government has done with the bill, now an act, is to bring it into effect but it depends on making an order in council, a statutory instrument, that’s what they are doing.

“They have to consult on that, I think the Campaign to Protect Rural England will be very much involved with this.”

Statutory instruments are a form of legislation which allow the provisions of an Act of Parliament to be subsequently brought into force or altered without Parliament having to pass a new Act.

His proposal was backed by the Campaign to Protect Rural England and Lord Deben, former Suffolk Coastal MP, John Gummer.

Speaking in the House of Lords, Lord Marlesford, said the proposal must be regarded as a “real step to enabling us to improve the cleanliness of our streets and roads”.

He added the proposal should be part of a “wider clean-up operation” in which an effort is made to change public behaviour through “education, exhortation and when necessary, deterrence”.