More than 4,000 sacks of rubbish collected from region's motorway network

Highways England said today that 4,000 sacks of rubbish have been collected from Yorkshire’s motorways so far this year.

The agency's contractors, A-one+, collected 4,018 sacks of rubbish from the motorway network from the beginning of January to the end of April.

In total, workers collected 13,780 sacks of litter last year – a 55 per cent increase on 2014.

If laid side by side, the bags cover the pitch at Wembley Stadium.

Highways England said litter thrown onto the road can cause a safety hazard to other vehicles, while the task of clearing roadside rubbish puts workers at risk.

The agency said it costs around £40 to collect each sack of rubbish from a motorway - roughly what it costs to fix a pothole.

Highways England service delivery team leader for Yorkshire and the Humber, Roger Wantling, said: “Our contractors collect vast amounts of litter from motorways every year, but we’d much rather they spend their time carrying out other essential maintenance work.

“The litter on our roads can cause a hazard to drivers, our workers and wildlife, so I’d urge everyone to keep a bag in their car which they can use for rubbish, and then put it in the bin when they get home.

“We are always targeting known litter hotspots and it would be great if these hotspots remained free of litter in the weeks and months ahead.”