MOTORISTS have been urged not to drop litter from their vehicles after the scale of the problem in Swindon was revealed.

National Highways says collected it collected well over 1,000 bags of litter from the A roads it looks after in the South West between From March 25 to April 10.

That haul included 232 bags from the verges of the A419 between Swindon and Cirencester in March as part of a spring clean operation, while 200 bags were collected on the M4.

The government company says cutting waste on the roads improves the lives of both communities and motorists and has has positive safety and environmental benefits.

South west service manager Julian Strong 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.

“Litter is a huge issue that we’re tackling daily. We value Keep Britain Tidy’s commitment to eliminating litter, as well as their partnership in our efforts to keep litter off our roads.

“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.

“We appreciate a lot of people will be heading to our beautiful part of the world this Easter and through the summer holidays – and our advice to drivers is clear: don’t drop litter.

“Please use any bins provided in laybys, heed the signage, and keep a bag in your car to store litter until you can dispose of it responsibly.”

Head of customer and operational requirements Freda Rashdi added: “We’ve taken up Keep Britain Tidy’s ‘Big Bag Challenge’ and pledged to pick at least 8,000 bags of litter for this year’s Great British Spring Clean. Over the course of the last six campaigns we’ve collected 60,000 bags of litter, and we’re proud to be joining this vital cause for its seventh year.

“Litter is a huge issue that we’re tackling daily, and we value Keep Britain Tidy’s commitment to eliminating litter, as well as their partnership in our efforts to keep litter off our roads.”

Reporting a maintenance issue to National Highways can be done online or by calling 0300 123 5000.