315 bags of rubbish, eight tyres and half a sofa collected in A14 clean-up
Half a sofa, three vehicle bumpers and more than 300 bags of rubbish were among the haul of debris collected in a series of clean-ups along the A14 in Northamptonshire.
National Highways is undertaking two large road schemes on this key route and any road closures needed for the works have offered an opportunity for North Northants Council (NNC) teams to carry out litter picks along the verges and laybys.
A number of litter picks have taken place on both the A14 River Nene viaduct scheme, between Junctions 12 and 13, and a maintenance project near Kelmarsh, Junctions 2 to 3.
Since August last year, they have cleaned up:
- 315 bags of rubbish
- Three vehicle bumpers
- Five mud guards
- A metal side rail off a vehicle
- Eight tyres
- Half a sofa
Head of planning and development Kamaljit Khokhar said: “Roadside litter is a serious issue that affects driver safety, contributes to pollution and threatens local wildlife – we know that people hate to see litter spoiling the natural beauty beside our roads.
“It also endangers those who collect it so we have to shut roads to keep workers safe, which is why we wanted to make the most of these recent A14 closures.
“We worked with the local authority so they could work through the night during the closures and avoiding further road closures. However, they wouldn’t have had to do this if people just took their litter home with them in the first place.”
Cllr Martin Griffiths, leader of North Northants Council, said: “This is an excellent example of partnership working in action - teams from the council working with National Highways to clean up this vital route through North Northamptonshire.
“As well as this work along the A14, we are also looking at undertaking similar litter picks along the A45, but due to the risks to our staff we have to wait until road closures are scheduled by National Highways.
“Each of these eight litter picks will have made such a difference in improving the overall look of the area and I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was involved, including those from the council who helped coordinate the litter picks.
“Seeing the disregard that motorists have for key routes across North Northants is deeply upsetting, especially as it is likely that most of this rubbish has come from drivers travelling through the area.
"This puts the cost of the clear-up on the North Northamptonshire taxpayer and I would urge everyone to take their rubbish home with them.”
A large expansion joint is being replaced on the A14 River Nene Viaduct scheme as it has reached the end of its working life.
Using innovative bridging plates and technology, National Highways has been able to allow traffic to travel over the viaduct and the excavated area during the daytime with closures at night to enable the work to be completed.
Essential maintenance also began in January on the A14 eastbound near Kelmarsh between Junctions 2 and 3 to reduce the risk of landslips.
The road is closed overnight to enable workers to repair the steepest parts of the embankment on the east side of the road, which has had slips in two places.
National Highways is supporting the Great British Spring Clean again this year with Keep Britain Tidy.
Running from March 13 to 29, the event encourages communities and individuals to join forces and act against litter.
In a recent study by National Highways, more than a fifth (22 per cent) of people admitted to littering on motorways and A roads, an increase of nine per cent (up from 13 per cent) compared with 2024, with more than half (55 per cent) unaware that littering could lead to delays due to road workers needing to pick up litter.
35 per cent of those surveyed did not consider how littering could injure or even kill wildlife, with the RSPCA estimating that nearly 3 million animals are killed each year due to littering.
For this year’s Great British Spring Clean, National Highways is planning community events, night-time sweeps and staff volunteer events to help support the Keep Britain Tidy Campaign.
Volunteers from the A14 River Nene viaduct project and Thrapston Town Council are leading a litter pick close to Junction 13 on Saturday (March 28).
Starting at Junction 13, the volunteers will begin near the services and cover as wide an area as possible.