East of England’s motorways get spruced up

THE East of England’s motorways have been given a spring clean as a part of a national campaign to reduce litter levels, with more than 700 bags of litter collected in eight weeks.

Litter can present a serious safety risk, as well as being unsightly and a risk to wildlife and the environment. And that’s why Highways England joined forces with Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean to encourage people to keep the country clean.

Since the start of the initiative in March, 712 bags of litter have been collected from the motorway network in the East of England in a bid to encourage drivers to take their litter home with them.

A variety of sites were targeted, with the M11 among the worst offenders in the region after litter operatives collected 526 bags from the route. The M1 also remained a hotspot with 171 bags collected throughout the spring clean.

In 2018, more than 10,000 bags of litter were collected from the roadside in the East of England.

Highways England Routine Delivery Manager, Andy Shilliday, said:

“Litter is an important issue in the East of England, it’s not only unsightly and a risk to wildlife, but clearing it from the side of motorways exposes workers to significant risk.

“Our litter operatives collect rubbish all year round, however, we wanted to use the spring clean as a chance to encourage drivers to take their litter home with them. If people don’t drop litter in the first place, there’d be no need to spend time and money picking it up.

“Last year, more than 3000 hours were spent collecting litter from motorways and major roads in the East, costing roughly £150,000. Time and money which could have been much better spent on maintaining and improving our roads.”

Besides from the usual takeaway wrappers or bottles that have been picked up, more unusual items were found in other parts of England such as sofas, mattresses, building materials and other large debris were also removed.

Teams will be continuing to tackle litter across the motorway and major road network, working alongside local authorities to keep the roads litter free.