1,000 bags of litter collected in clean-up along A38
Bed mattresses, car bumpers and a barbecue were among the shocking haul of rubbish collected when the A38 in Staffordshire was closed overnight as part of a major National Highways maintenance scheme.
More than 1,000 bags of rubbish – plus four bed mattresses - have been collected along the A38 in Staffordshire during closures for a National Highways scheme.
Various vehicle parts, wood, metal, a bird cage and a barbecue were also among the huge haul of litter collected by workers from Lichfield District and East Staffordshire Borough councils.
National Highways is carrying out essential maintenance work between Fradley and Barton under Needwood which includes carriageway resurfacing, replacing sections of central reservation, road markings and upgrading street lighting.
While the road is closed overnight for the work to be carried out safely, teams from the local authorities took the opportunity to clear the route of litter and debris. Carrying out the work at this time avoids the need for another road closure in the future.
A shocking amount of litter has been collected with East Staffordshire Borough Council picking up 100 bags of litter in just one night. On average 71 bags were collected every shift with a total to date of 706 bags, weighing some 2,800kg, over a two-week period.
Lichfield has collected 300 bags of litter as well as the four mattresses, 16 HGV tyres and some car bumpers in one week.
Caption: Some of the litter collected in just one night in the Lichfield district
As well as picking up litter the councils have been sweeping the roads and tidying up grass verges, laybys and pathways.
Lichfield’s sweepers have cleared up 20 tonnes of soil and debris while East Staffordshire swept up 59 tonnes.
The National Highways scheme, which is being delivered by contractor Carnell, is being completed in four phases. The first phase on the southbound carriageway between Branston Junction and Hilliard’s Cross junction is now complete.
Traffic management is due to switch to the northbound carriageway today (9 May) and the teams will once again use the overnight closures to safely clear away litter.
Caption: East Staffordshire council teams tidying up grass verges (left) and using the sweeper to clear up soil and debris
National Highways Programme Development Manager, Ian Doust, said:
“Littering is a social problem across the country and we’re working hard to tackle it on our roads. Roadside litter is a threat to other drivers and vehicles using our roads, the environment and wildlife, it can block drains and forces us to close roads to ensure roadworkers can safely clear up the mess.
“Any road closures can be inconvenient for road users and communities which is why we work closely with local authorities on schemes like this to get as much work done as possible while the route is shut.
“It is disappointing to see how much litter has been thrown onto the roadside along the A38. We would urge road users to take their rubbish home - if people didn’t drop litter in the first place it wouldn’t need to be picked up. Every pound that we and the local authorities spend on litter picking could be much better spent elsewhere.”
A spokesperson for East Staffordshire Borough Council said:
“The Council welcomes the opportunity to work in partnership with National Highways, with their road closures providing a safe working area for our staff to undertake both litter picking and road sweeping.
“The A38 is a strategic route through East Staffordshire and this work makes a real difference to the local environment. However, some of this work should not be required and we would urge people to take their litter home with them rather than dropping it on the roadside.”
Glen Ogden, Street Scene Supervisor at Lichfield District Council, said:
“The overnight closures of the A38 between Fradley and Barton under Needwood offered a great opportunity to collect litter along the highway safely.
“Our team worked hard to clear the roadside verges collecting hundreds of bags of rubbish over 5 nights while our sweeper removed many tonnes of soil and debris.
“Removal of litter improves the environment and makes the area more attractive.
“This was the first phase of the clean-up operation. Further work is planned later this year when the contractors move down the A38 towards Wall.”
For more information about the ongoing works visit the A38 Fradley to Barton scheme webpage at: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/a38-fradley-to-barton
Notes to Editors
• National Highways is responsible for the removal of litter from motorways and some strategic A-roads.
• Litter collections on most A-roads are the responsibility of local authorities and National Highways works with them wherever possible so they can take advantage of any of our works and associated traffic management to safely litter pick at the same time.
• Litter picking activities across our motorways are part of our wider programme of maintenance at a cost of millions of pounds each year.
• We carry out regular inspections to make sure our network is in good condition and litter pick somewhere on our motorways almost every single day and we will continue to work with stakeholders and partners to keep the major roads in England free of litter.
• We also welcome feedback from the public to report any instances of litter on our roads.
