Hundreds of bags of rubbish and four bed mattresses have been collected as part of a clean up on the A38 near Lichfield.
Among the items found were vehicle parts, wood, a bird cage and a barbecue.
They were cleared away from the side of the road as part of overnight closures for a major resurfacing and repair project on the stretch between Fradley and Barton-under-Needwood.
Teams from Lichfield District Council and East Staffordshire Borough Council took part in the clean-up operation.
In total, 1,000 bags were collected – with the mattresses and 16 HGV tyres also picked up in the Lichfield area in just one week.
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.”
Ian Doust, National Highways
Glen Ogden, from Lichfield District Council, said:
“Our team worked hard to clear the roadside verges collecting hundreds of bags of rubbish over five 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.”
Glen Ogden, Lichfield District Council
For more information about the ongoing works visit nationalhighways.co.uk/a38-fradley-to-barton.
Thank you for your efforts, it is one of my pet hates, people just don’t see the eyesores they create or care! How much more pleasant on the approach to the city to be litter free, it shows we care.
Just shocking what gets dumped disgraceful in fact.
Thank you for cleaning up this mess.Well done 💚❤️
Excellent work by the workmen on this stretch of road but the trouble is it won’t be long before the brainless scum responsible for this mess do the same thing again!
No mention of the bottles of pee and worse thrown out of vehicles. HGV tyres, another problem along our major routes, usually left by tyre breakdown companies.