AROUND 20 tonnes of litter, tyres, car bumpers and signage have been cleaned up from along Cornwall’s trunk roads in a six-week clean-up that started in mid-April.

And as the holiday season in the South West starts, Highways England is telling drivers “drop in for a visit – but don’t drop your litter.”

At the onset of the pandemic last year, Highways England funded and delivered a scheme to install bins and signage in a number of laybys on routes across the South West.

But local authorities, including smaller funded district and city councils, are still reporting a staggering amount of litter being cleared around their roads.

Devon’s combined authorities spend around £7 million annually keeping the county clean, and the Clean Devon Partnership is working with business and residents to tackle this anti-social habit.

Meanwhile Plymouth City Council has collected over six tonnes of waste from verges along just an eight-miles stretch of the A38 and its slip roads.

Councillor Maddi Bridgeman said: “A really disappointing amount of rubbish finds its way onto verges along the A38 and there’s no doubt that much of this is thrown from vehicle windows.

“Clearing rubbish from such a busy road is a challenging task and every time our crews have to go out, staff and money are diverted from other cleansing works.

“It’s a crime to dump rubbish, wherever you are. We urge motorists to store their rubbish securely until they get home and ask that anyone witnessing littering reports it to us, with dash-cam footage if they have it, so that we can investigate.”

On the motorways, its Highways England’s job to look after the verges: over the last month, its contractors have swept up sackfuls of litter in the South West - 300 bags along the M4 and 200 bags from the M5.

Litter on the majority of A roads in the region is the responsibility of local authorities to clear, but in order that it can be collected safely, Highways England often teams up with councils to co-ordinate any necessary closures.

Reducing the amount of roadside litter not only improves the lives of both communities and motorists, but also provides a significant saving to local authorities in terms of time and money spent on clearing rubbish from the roadsides.

Now Highways England?is?calling?on drivers to do their bit.

Chris Regan, South West Head of Service Delivery for Highways England, said: “Littering is a social problem across the country and our priority, working closely with our partners, is to keep our roads safe and well maintained for drivers and neighbouring communities.

“Roadside litter is not just unsightly but it’s a threat to wildlife and the environment and it can also be a safety hazard for drivers, can block drains and picking it up puts roadworkers at risk.

“Hopefully we can get the message across that litter not only impacts people’s lives but also has a significant economic impact for our councils across the region.”

Carol Mould, portfolio holder for Neighbourhoods at Cornwall Council, sums it up: “There is no excuse for throwing litter on the side of the road.

“Cornwall is a beautiful county and we want to keep it that way. Not only does it cost a lot of money to clean litter up, it can also pose a danger to other road users and can harm wildlife.

“Please dispose of your rubbish responsibly and help keep Cornwall clean.”