Council leader slams ‘embarrassing’ A45 as litter problem persists

Cllr Martin Griffiths has noted the ‘unsightly litter’ mounting on the A45, and has appealed to National Highways to address the problem.

In order to clear it up, the council has to work with National Highways which is required to put the right traffic management in place.

Cllr Griffiths insists he has written to National Highways to ask for help, offering to meet to address the problem he has been ‘trying to get done for months’.

Cllr Griffiths said: “I’ve been asked this question a lot over the last 12 months. The honest answer is that we want to [clear up the litter]. In fact, we've been trying to.

“I’ve lost count of the number of residents who’ve stopped me in the street or contacted me to ask why the litter along the A45 hasn’t been cleared. It’s a fair question. People see the litter and quite rightly wonder why nothing has been done. It’s embarrassing.

“The frustrating part is that this isn’t a problem we can solve on our own.

“Before we can send our teams out, we need the road to be made safe. That means working with National Highways to put the right traffic management in place.

“We have a good relationship with National Highways. Our officers have been working constructively with them for some time and I want that to continue. I now want to agree a permanent programme of work, so we start making real progress because we need to turn conversations into action.

“Residents don’t care who owns the road. They just want it cleaned. Frankly, so do I.”

Previously, the area has been criticised by volunteer-led group the Northants Litter Wombles, who are unable to clear the roads themselves due to health and safety issues.

In response, National Highways say the council is able to book lane closures, and makes the council aware of when it is appropriate to safety collect litter during planned road closures.

A National Highways spokesperson said: “Local authorities are able to book their own lane closures for litter clearance, and National Highways also notifies local authorities of opportunities to safely collect litter when road closures are already planned. We will continue to ensure North Northants Council is aware of any roadworks coming up in their area.

“It is important that we coordinate road closures to minimise disruption. We only close roads when necessary and usually do so at night when we know traffic numbers are lower.”

National Highways is pleading for people to take their litter home, and dispose of it correctly and responsibly.