Abandoned fairground ride recovered from side of M180 motorway near Doncaster
An abandoned fairground ride found at the side of a motorway near Doncaster was among some of the obstructions that traffic officers in Yorkshire and the North East have retrieved from National Highways’ roads so far this year.
Nationally, more than 49,000 objects were collected by National Highways teams from motorways and major A roads between 1 January and 30 September.
Drivers are being urged not to use the roadside as a dumping ground and to ensure their loads are safely secured.
The M1 was the second most affected road nationally, after the M6, for obstructions found, with more than 5,000 reports.
Across the country, most of the items picked up by National Highways this year were building or construction materials with 9,685 found in total, followed by vehicle parts or accessories and tyres.
However, amongst the more unusual items was a fairground ride which was retrieved from the verge on the M180 in November.
Further south, an abandoned boat was spotted far from open water on the side of the A42 near Measham, Leicestershire in July.
Andrew Richards, Traffic Officer who found the ride, said: “Earlier in the year, my wife and I had been to Disney World and I thought I was either having flashbacks of meeting Mickey or he’s followed me when I spotted his grin and ears peeping out behind the trees! You don’t expect to find Mickey Mouse down a banking off the M180!”
Nicola Clayton, Regional Safety Programme Manager at National Highways, said: "National Highways traffic officers often have to close lanes or carriageways to remove large items and experience first-hand the negative impact obstructions can have on drivers and their safety.”
Other items officers dealt with over the same period include 3,575 household or garden items, 3,087 animal fatalities and 797 abandoned vehicles.
A sofa, storage container, Christmas trees and bikes are among other obstructions and shed loads rescued by traffic officers directly from the carriageways.
Top 5 obstructions across the network – 1 Jan to 30 Sept 2025
1 Building/construction – 9,685
2 Vehicle parts/accessories – 8,565
3 Tyre – 4,606
4 Other – 4,438
5 Unknown 4,104
Figures from National Highways show most incidents logged this year have been on the M6 and M1, followed by the M25, M5 and M62.
Of the items collected, most of them (9,795) have been discovered on carriageways in the north west region, followed by the south east with 8,733 items and east of the country with 8,357.
Top 10 roads for obstructions – 1 Jan to 30 Sept 2025
1 M6 – 5,605
2 M1 – 5,175
3 M25 – 3,626
4 M5 – 3,559
5 M62 – 2,647
6 M4 – 2,465
7 A1/M – 2,043
8 M40 – 1,483
9 M60 – 1,477
10 M3 – 1,259