Winchester Council in Hampshire claimed annual clean-up hit by new rules . The council said it had to spend £500,000 a year on cleaning up the river and its tributaries after being told that there was no point keeping them as they were 'too dirty'.
Winchester Council in Hampshire claimed annual clean-up hit by new rules . But the Health and Safety Executive denied tightening rules and added that councils were ‘ over-interpreting ’ legislation . Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion accused town hall bosses and Highways Agency of ruining the countryside by failing to remove rubbish .