Litter pickers spotted on “incredibly dangerous” Sheffield bypass slip road

Litter pickers have been seen clearing up on an “incredibly dangerous” slip road to the A616 Stocksbridge Bypass, which no local authority currently has a responsibility to keep clean.
By Julia Armstrong, Local Democracy Reporter
Published 24th Nov 2023, 12:32 BST
Updated 24th Nov 2023, 12:32 BST
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A member of Sheffield City Council said that he is currently trying to get the city’s highways contractor Amey to take responsibility for the work as it needs to be done safely by professionals.

The issue was raised at a meeting of the city council’s Sheffield North Local Area Committee (LAC) on Tuesday (November 23).

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The Mayor of Stocksbridge, Coun Mark Whittaker, said: “We have a very well-respected litter-picking group in Stocksbridge who do really good work and they are getting quite fed up now about the vast amount of litter that seems to be on the bypass coming down, especially on the slip road towards Deepcar. It is a sort of great mess.”

A Google Maps image of the A616 Stocksbridge Bypass and slip road to Deepcar, Sheffield - complaints have been made about litter not being cleared up as no authority has responsibility for the workA Google Maps image of the A616 Stocksbridge Bypass and slip road to Deepcar, Sheffield - complaints have been made about litter not being cleared up as no authority has responsibility for the work
A Google Maps image of the A616 Stocksbridge Bypass and slip road to Deepcar, Sheffield - complaints have been made about litter not being cleared up as no authority has responsibility for the work

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He said that ward city councillors have found that the A616 passes through both the Barnsley and Sheffield Council areas but the road is the responsibility of the Highways Agency.

Coun Whittaker added: “It looks very much like everyone is passing the buck to everyone else and no-one is prepared to set up some sort of systematic litter-picking regime and that’s what it needs, not just an occasional once-a-year ‘bomb’ or something.”

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Coun Lewis Chinchen is trying to get Sheffield City Council highways contractors Amey to take over responsibility for clearing litter from the A616 Stocksbridge Bypass and Deepcar slip roadCoun Lewis Chinchen is trying to get Sheffield City Council highways contractors Amey to take over responsibility for clearing litter from the A616 Stocksbridge Bypass and Deepcar slip road
Coun Lewis Chinchen is trying to get Sheffield City Council highways contractors Amey to take over responsibility for clearing litter from the A616 Stocksbridge Bypass and Deepcar slip road

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The Stocksbridge Town Council mayor said that it was far too dangerous for local litter pickers to take on the task.

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Stocksbridge and Upper Don ward Coun Lewis Chinchen said he had been shown a map of Amey’s highways responsibilities in Sheffield and the A616 bypass is not included on it. He said that part of the road falls within the Sheffield boundary, rather than Barnsley.

Coun Chinchen added: “We need to ensure that it is on the network and I have initiated the process with Sheffield City Council.”

He continued: “There are people I’ve seen litter picking on there and it is incredibly dangerous on that slip road. It is a bendy slip road, cars coming off at 50-60 (miles an hour), really dangerous, so it does need a professional job for litter picking.”

Related topics:Lewis ChinchenLitter pickersSheffieldSheffield City CouncilStocksbridge