AN East Lancashire MP has called for a crackdown on speeding and fly-tipping in a Parliamentary debate on new government policing measures.

Burnley Tory backbencher Antony Higginbotham was speaking as the House of Commons discussed the Queen Speech and the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Public Bill.

He said: "I have yet to meet anyone who thinks we should continue with the automatic release of violent and sexual offenders halfway through their sentence. Not a single person has told me that they think that is a good idea.

"Our emergency service workers deserve the protections that we can offer them, so doubling the sentence for people who assault them is welcome.

"However, we also need to focus on the more bread-and-butter crimes: the rural crime issues such as speeding cars on our roads and fly-tipping on our country lanes. That is what our residents want us to be focused on, because that is what blights our communities."

Mr Higginbotham who sits on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill Committee which is scrutinising the new piece of legislation, said: “We need to focus on issues that residents care about with more police officers on our streets and a tougher approach making sure that the sentence fits the crime."