HIGHWAYS England is urging motorists and passengers not to throw litter onto the roadside.

This comes as figures revealed that Wiltshire Council has collected 29 tonnes of rubbish - including 2,215 bagfuls of trash and 22 vehicle tyres - this year alone.

Litter on the majority of A roads in the region is the responsibility of local authorities to clear, but Highways England often teams up with councils to co-ordinate any necessary closures.

Reducing the amount of roadside litter improves the lives of both communities and motorists and saves councils the time and money spent litter-picking.

Sam Fox from Wiltshire Council said: "Our teams have been doing a fantastic job collecting litter on the Wiltshire highways network over the past 12 weeks, but it’s shameful that they have had to collect 2,215 bags and counting.

“Much of this litter will have been thrown from moving vehicles, so we’d ask all motorists to please take their litter home and put it in their household bin - not throw it into the countryside, where it can harm the environment and wildlife, and also look unsightly.

“We spend more than £2.5m each year picking up litter in Wiltshire.

"This could have been spent on other projects such as environmental initiatives and improvements to our public rights of way.”

Chris Regan, South West Head of Service Delivery for Highways England, said: “Littering is a social problem across the country and our priority, working closely with our partners, is to keep our roads safe and well maintained for drivers and neighbouring communities.

“Roadside litter is not just unsightly but it’s a threat to wildlife and the environment and it can also be a safety hazard for drivers, can block drains and picking it up puts roadworkers at risk.

“Litter collections on our A roads are the responsibility of local authorities and hopefully we can get the message across that litter not only impacts people’s lives but also has a significant economic impact for our councils across the region.”