Hundreds of bags of litter are being cleared from over 100 miles of highway verges in Carlisle.
Carlisle City Council’s clean neighbourhoods team is in the process of picking up bags of rubbish each day and when completed is likely to have collected around 1,000 bags of litter.
The areas they are cleaning include the A7, A595, A689, A6071, A6 and Carlisle Northern Development Route and various other rural roads.
To ensure the safety of staff and other road users, temporary traffic management is in place; please slow down to protect our staff.
Roadside litter is a blight on the local environment and can have a lasting impact on local wildlife.
Carlisle City Council is committed to Keeping Carlisle Clean and ensuring that people are aware of their responsibilities. Those that don’t comply could face hefty fines.
The offence of littering from a vehicle carries a penalty notice of £150 and this can be issued direct to the keeper of a vehicle, even if they are not driving the vehicle at the time of the offence.
Failure to pay a penalty notice will result in the fine doubling and further action being taken in the courts.
Councillor Nigel Christian, portfolio holder for environment and transport, said: “We’re committed to improving the environment and keeping Carlisle clean.
“Apart from being an eyesore, roadside litter is a serious environmental hazard and an expensive one too – money that could be better spent in the community. Littering also endangers wildlife and livestock.
“We have a new electric camera enforcement van to help us track down those that don’t follow the rules.
“The new vehicle is a safe way of capturing and recording car registrations and, where possible, the actual crime being committed.
“There is no excuse for throwing litter out of vehicles. It’s harmful to the environment and puts our staff at risk when they have to clear it up.
“Wildlife are the main victims when it comes to people’s rubbish – particularly wild birds.
“Protecting animals from harmful rubbish is easy – dispose of your rubbish responsibly by recycling, reusing or simply putting it in the bin.”
