A toilet, cooker and part of a boat are some of the bizarre items that have been dumped on the A30 as Cornwall Council urges motorists to bin or take their rubbish home.

The Council’s waste collection service Biffa collects 10 tonnes of litter from roadsides and verges along the high speed route each year – enough to fill two double decker buses.

Most common among the discarded items are fast food packaging, takeaway cups and plastic drinks bottles, but there have also been dozens of mobile phones and large items such as electrical appliances and furniture.

Not only is roadside litter an eyesore, picking it up - especially on high speed roads such as the A30, A38 and A39 - means that the workforce are exposed to unnecessary and avoidable danger.

Recent changes to the law mean that litter penalties can be applied to vehicle owners if it can be proved the rubbish was thrown from their car, van or lorry, even if was discarded by a passenger. Motorists or their passengers can be fined £150 for throwing rubbish from car windows or dumping it in a layby.