West Midlands’ motorways used as rubbish dump

ENOUGH rubbish to fill five Olympic-sized swimming pools is being collected off the region’s motorways every year.

Amey, which has a major base in Colmore Plaza in Birmingham, says it has collected up to 5,000 sacks of junk every month from the sides of the M40, M42, M5, M6, M50 and the M54.

Among the items gathered up by the firm, which is working on behalf of the Highways Agency, are food packaging, teddy bears and even a canoe.

It is backing a new ‘Bag It Bin It’ drive by the agency to rid the roads of rubbish, particularly as it can pose a high safety risk to motorists if it blows onto the motorway and the workers collecting it.

Amey’s general manager Jonathan White said: “A number of road users appear to be using the motorways in and around the West Midlands as a rubbish dump and it’s an ongoing battle to keep the motorways clear.

“Hundreds of man-days are spent removing the vast amount of litter each year.

“This not only gives road-workers exposure to unnecessary risk beside high-speed roads, it also diverts public money that would be better spent on roads maintenance and repair.

“Our priority is to keep road users and our own people as safe as possible.

“We are urging motorists to help us do this – simply by taking their litter home.”