Love Where You Live
On 19 February, the council’s contractor, Forest Traffic Services, commenced its annual clean-up of the A303 and A34 verges, laybys and slip roads within the borough.
It took around three weeks to complete the work, with 634 bags of litter collected amounting to nearly 3 tonnes of litter and other roadside debris. The work is carried out between January and March each year, as the vegetation has died back, allowing for easier retrieval of litter.
Environment Portfolio Holder, councillor Graham Stallard, said “Now the clean-up is complete, the difference is staggering. You can clearly see the improvements we have made from our before and after photos. I find it horrendous that in just one year, so much litter has been discarded along these two roads.
“The most common items we’ve collected are drinks related such as bottles and cups. They can only have been thrown out of vehicle windows with such disregard for the local environment. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure the area they live in is treated with respect. I would urge everyone to dispose of their litter in the correct way. Just take it home and put it in your bin!”
For more information on its Love Where You Live initiative, including clean-up campaigns and educational visits, go to www.testvalley.gov.uk/love or www.facebook.com/lovewhereyoulivetestvalley.