Please find below some of the kind things people have said about Clean Highways.
This feed back is very important as it greatly strengthens my hand when dealing with the authorities.
To help the cause please use the contact form.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Peter Silverman
.
June 2013
What can we do? Thank you Peter for all your hard work. I have to drive around the country for my job and I am sickened, saddened and disgusted by the amount of litter at the side of A roads and motorways. I’ve seen rubbish fly off the back of a van on the M23 northbound, I’ve seen a young man throw a can into the grass on the M23 southbound and crisp packet fly out of a window on the M1.
What can we do to a) stop litter accumulating and b) make the relevant organisations to do more about it? What about the areas of road I call ‘no man’s land’? There is a stretch of road off Junction 9 of the M23 northbound and London Road North, which does not have a name, but the amount of litter is horrendous. Who is responsible for that? And there so many areas like that, but to get a local authority or the Highways Agency to do something takes hours, as I found out last year about the M23 near Gatwick Airport. I wish people and drivers were more respectful of the environment, then we would not have this problem on this scale. What can we do????
Anita Rosser
May 2013
Litter on Kent roads. I have been desperately upset by the sheer volume of litter along the access roads to Dover, generally, and the verges of the A2 in particular. It is a windy region of Kent, which leads to litter being distributed across fields, in trees and hedgerows. Litter is unacceptable, hideous and a hazard. Thank you for your campaign, which I support wholeheartedly.
Mrs Vanessa Dent
Roadside Litter. Thank you for your excellent work. Just returned from a long journey around the country and the state of Britain’s roads is appalling. There are hardly any roads not affected – from motorways to country roads. It’s extremely disheartening. Keep up the good work.
John Montgomery
April 2013
Sir, May I thank you for taking on this task – I have written numerous times to the Highways Agencies (HA) about the amount of litter on our motorways (indeed found your site today as I was in the process of writing a note to the dreadful state of Junction 11 and 10 on the M27). One thing that I found out recently when trying to find out who was responsible for maintaining the A34 (major dual carriageway) was that the HQ expects local authorities to look after these roads – and the local authorities seemed to have no idea that this was the case – until I informed them. Keep up the good work. Thank you.
Richard Jones
A27 and M23 Hi, great work! There are two key roads that drive me crazy as they are so filthy they make the July 2011 M40 images look relatively clean! This is the A27 and the M23. They are truly in shocking condition but i dont know where to start in terms of going about doing something. Any thoughts, ideas, etc you might have would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks
Nigel Sherriff
FILHTY VERGES IN CHESHIRE Coming off the M56 at Hale Cheshire, the verges to the left are absolutely filthy dirty. I have been tempted on many occasions to get a dustbin bag and clean them myself. Hale and the surrounds are a beautiful area, but the approach via these filthy verges are a disgrace. Can you help. Love your website. The USA highways are so sparkling they put this country to shame.
Marsha Gee
Litter on M621 Leeds. What a relief to find so many people who are as disgusted as I am about litter on roadside verges. I think a petition similar to the one objecting to the government’s sale of woodland a few years ago would sharpen the focus of all those responsible for carrying out litter clearing (and those creating the problem) I am presently writing to complain about the M621 and was very interested to read about section 91 of the EPA – it could prove a useful tool. Thank-you and keep up the good work.
Linda McGeachie
A11/A14 Hello Peter, Just found your website on the net after I googled car litter. It’s great to discover an individual who is trying to get our roads cleaned up. I live in Thetford Norfolk and regularly use the A11 and A14. I am shocked by the amount of litter and filth at the side of our roads. Mile after mile after mile, it seems to be everywhere and in my opinion it’s a national embarrassment. The stretch of A14 passing Newmarket and the Girton interchange at Cambridge are particularly bad. I have email complaints to various local authorities but all you get in reply is a map showing their area, no action is ever taken. Please let me know if I can help you in any way, or if you have any advice for me it would be most welcome. To see all the litter our once beautiful country is drowning in makes me feel sad and angry in equal measure. Surely something has to be done to improve this problem. Thank you
Stuart Clay
Petition. Pleased that someone is working to challenge this.
I regularly use the motorways in the midlands and the M1 and litter can be found along the whole length of these roads. Most of the rubbish is visible in winter when the vegetation has died back, so any future contracts would need to specify extra work during this time. And now that the rubbish is considerable, it would need to specify a deep clean of small pieces of plastic, so great is the present level of contamination with this material. Has anyone started a petition do you know?
Nick Furini
National Litter Epidemic. May I bring to your attention the growing epidemic in respect of the litter trail? Having just travelled the A50, A42, M42 I was yet again appalled by the ‘sea of litter’ blighting our once proud country. I’ve written on several occasions about this issue which I feel is deteriorating despite great efforts by dedicated people like yourself!
The problem is one reports a ‘black-spot’ which is then cleared, only to be as bad again within a few days. Current legislation does not appear to be enforced and no amount of paper-work can replace the physical removal at regular intervals of rubbish that is submerging this once beautiful land! Britain as a result, is looking more and more like a Third World Country which overseas visitors comment upon and rightly so. What is the answer here-I’m lost for words and rapidly running out of patience!
Alvar Thomas
I am so glad I found your website , you are really a saint. I live close to the channel tunnel and over the last couple of years there seems to have been a sharp rise in the amounts of litter. My solution would be to tackle the problem at source however I feel rather depressed as it appears that the people who are in charge of this country simply do not care. Top priority would be to immediately ban all shops from providing plastic bags—– they would not even be allowed to charge for them—–this has been done in France. Secondly , all aluminium cans and plastic drink bottles would have a 20p refundable deposit—–this alone would discourage a large number of people from littering and there would be no shortage of persons willing to pick up those bottles that are still discarded.
A Chambers
The A1. I commute daily into London by coach and the A1 is just absolutely disgusting. A large percentage of the litter is in areas where lorries park overnight but it really is just the length and breadth of the entire road. It’s quite baffling to me that none of the local authorities have spearheaded a cleanup of what must be tons of waste. Littering should be made as socially unacceptable as smoking in a public building… if someone sparked up on a railway station now, people would be up in arms. The same should be the case for litter bugs of any magnitude.
Rhys
March 2013
Well done in all your efforts in trying to get our roads and motorways cleared of litter.
I travel frequently along the A406 between the M11 and A13 and along again the A13 at Dagenham to the M25 junction and amount of rubbish that ‘s built up along these roads is unbelievable and unacceptable. I cant believe that there is no one in authority from the local council or highways dept that doesn’t arrange to have this mess cleaned up. Why doesn’t the government increase the fine to £1000 for anyone caught dropping litter as this would make most arrogant people think twice about doing this.
bob burgess
Litter on roadside verges. So pleased to see this website exists but dismayed that it is needed. The responsible authorities should be held to account for the state of road verges the amount of litter is absolute disgrace. What impression are we giving to visitors to this country if I was a visitor I would certainly think twice about returning
Peter Todd
MOTORWAY EXITS-SERVICE STATIONS. May I express considerable concern regarding the proliferation of litter on the verges on exiting service stations on the M1 Motorway. On leaving the Newport Pagnell Servicesonly yesterday, I was appalled at the mess which resembles that seen in Third World countries. I have no reason to doubt that these comments equally apply to all motorway services!
AlvarThomas
Brilliant website. Thanks for creating this site. After being frustrated by a disgusting slip-road verge near me I contacted the Highways Agency and it was picked within a week!
Neil Musgrove
The filthy roadsides of England. Well done! Pleased to find your website – keep at it – we are behind you!
Having lived in France for 11 years and travelled many miles over there, not once did I ever see anything like the littered roadsides that I have just encountered on the M11 going up to Norfolk. I am absolutely appalled at the amount of litter there is over here. It’s everywhere, but the roadsides leave you speechless. This country is looking filthy – what on earth has happened to it? What CAN we do to even start to rectify this situation?
Carol Chapman
I regularly drive from Cheshire through Staffordshire and Shropshire to the West Midlands. I take a variety of routes – motorways, A roads and rural lanes – but it is becoming rarer and rarer to find a single stretch of road that is litter-free. Littered verges and hedgerows are becoming the default setting in both urban and rural areas which in turn is attacting even more rubbish and de-sensitising everyone to what a complete tip our highways have become. Keep up the good work – it is extremely commendable what you are striving for and I am sure you have the backing of millions of people who are totally fed-up with the thoughtless actions of the minority.
Joe Roe
Litter on A35 - I am glad you are there! – I was recently a car passenger on a journey from Hampshire through Dorset to Devon, some of our most beautiful rural counties, and was outraged at the amount of litter on the verges of the A35. Large amounts in hedgerows too. Emerging snowdrops covered by swathes of discarded plastic packaging. It seems to demonstrate an increasing disrespect for the countryside and the wider environment, which is being trashed in the name of ‘growth’. Keep up the good work.
Rosie Groves
Filthy motorway verges. Please keep up the struggle! Peter, I was driven down to Stevenage from Church Stretton last week and was disgusted by the ribbons of filfth that littered the verges & central reservations along almost the entire journey.
John Woolmer
Disgusting state of M5 in Gloucestershire. Litter on M5 is getting worse it has not been cleaned for years. Who are the best people to contact?
Jan Wilson
Roadside litter. Good stuff. Pete, just driven from Northamptonshire to Bristol, amazed at the sheer volume of litter on the roadside in Northamptonshire and beyond! God alone knows what visitors from abroad must think, but I’m going to try to get something done about it. Keep up the good work, we need more people like you who care and act.
David Nicholls
February 2013
Well done. I’m just about to complain to Huntingdonshire DC about the astonishing amount of litter on their roadside verges.
Michael Behrend
I have a passion for cleaner and better society. I organised Pathway Neighborhood. A community litter action group. Meanwhile, I would like to volunteer with you. So that together we can archived our better society.
FEMI ADEJUWON
Litter on highway verges – Until the political will is there we are going to have to suffer the blight of huge levels of litter strewn along our roads and motorways. I cannot understand why a developed nation like ours seems to be the only one that is incapable of dealing with what is, in reality, a simple issue. I would like to get involved in both campaigning and finding ways how I can physically help in cleaning our environment.
Ian Morgan
Thank goodness I am not the only one!! Seeing our streets and highways littered with debris it has inspired me to start campaigning first with a very strong letter in my paper, which was responed to very well, to speaking to my local MP about a campaing involveing local radio and junior schools. If you go to Switzerland there is no litter so why do we have to put up with this mess. Also where are our leaders on this subject. Plenty about horsemeat in our lasagne but nothing about our litter. We need to co-ordinate a powerful lobby and try and cure this situation before it gets any worse.
Blair Smillie
January 2013
Keep up the good work, I’ve just e-mailed my local council to complain about the rubbish strewn roadside verges. Always looks worse in the winter, when the grass dies back!
Dave Formstone
UK’s filthy verges – SO encouraging to read of your superb efforts!
Julia Squier
December 2012
Keep up the good work Peter. I am currently in the procees of getting sections of the M56 cleaned (junctions5-7). I will let you know how I get on/whether I need to apply for a litter abatement order. I have previously had sections of the A1 cleared (800 bags of rubbish picked, apparently).
Michael Pease
Thank you so much Peter for all your impressive good work. I would be pleased to help in the future. As a frequent visitor to France I am shocked by the difference between the two countries, and this was not the case until 10 or maybe 15 years ago. very sad!
I think a little pain, like having to slow down for allowing regular litter picking teams might increase awareness of the problem and might encourage people to want to keep Britain beautiful.
Francoise Brindle
Littered road verges. Well done for your continued good work chasing down officialdom for their lack of hard work in combating our country’s disgusting road verge litter problem.
Robin Brown
I support your sentiments 100%. After returning to the UK to live, for family reasons, I am deeply saddened to see the level of vandalism that is happening to this beautiful country in the way of littering. I feel so frustrated that one programme after another seems to have had no effect on this appalling habit and councils and governments seem powerless to find a solution. I am happy to pick up litter but that is not the solution… what can be done to stop people doing this in the first place??? Does anybody in power care about trying to stop it ?? I am ashamed of my own country and the attitudes that prevail here. Thankfully, there are those who do care, but are we in a position to make a difference? Thank you for all you are doing to try and change things.
Kath Sadler
August 2012
Dear Peter, Keep up the good work! If we all pull together we can clean up Britain. We are blessed to live in such a nice country but it really gets me down when I see how dirty our streets are. As a nation we need to sort it out. We need a campaign from a leading figure, say Bradley Wiggins!! to address the nation. It is a time when when we are all proud to be British during the Jubilee and Olympic year and if we can get the proud British public to see that litter is really letting down our nation then that would be great thing.
Thomas Bickle
Costs. Peter, I have written before, and support your fight 200%. However, I find it terrible that you have suffered personal costs in trying to do the right thing for us and the environment. Can I suggest you include a ‘donations’ link on the web site. PayPal or similar, I know you are not in it for the money, but I am sure if you publicised the fact in greater detail that the last effort on our behalf cost YOU £8000+. It’s a frightening thought. I will be happy to donate if you provide a link, as will others!! This cannot continue. £8000 would provide a lot of clearing up and all it’s done is gone to the legal profession and the Govermnents costs??? Not right. Andrew.
Andrew Gates
Court rules M40 J1 not defaced by litter; Dear Peter, A very unfair and illogical judgement. Your campaign has been inspiring and brave. Please keep going, I’m sending a donation towards your costs. Best wishes.
Victoria Scott
Peter, I applaud your efforts. Our streets and roads are filthy and a national disgrace. I have campaigned in Battersea / Wandsworth for cleaner streets and more street bins. But every time I walk down the road I see unacceptable litter and can fill a bag by walking 200 m. Clapham Common is appalling and in 30 minutes you can pick up 200 pieces of litter. Carry on the fight.
Mike O’Shea
June 2012
Let me say at the outset that I personally have had a lifelong loathing of people who drop litter and the resultant degradation of our environment. I massively applaud your campaigning efforts and apparent effectiveness.
However – I also believe in some fundamental principles of a just society – that laws should be made, passed and scrutinized by a democratically elected parliament, that governments, local and national work for the people and that everyone has the right to proper judicial consideration of any alleged offences before the imposition of a penalty. In this context I am shocked and saddened to see that your obvious passion about the problem of littering seems to have allowed you to justify to yourself, that individuals should be summarily punished for the crimes of others …
(Link to Rupert’s e-mail)
Rupert Lipton
May 2012
A20 – first steps. Here we go, time to tackle A20 Folkestone-Dover. Just sent an informal complaint regarding the A20 between Folkestone and Dover, a lorry-drivers’ rubbish dump, as a first step to try to get something done about this blighted area – often the first (and last) sight of our country for many visitors.
Martin Whybrow
“We often feel disgusted by the sight of carelessly discarded litter, but seek not the remedy for its permanent removal”. Dear Mr Silverman, below is a letter I have sent to my neighbours in my home town of Wellow, Hampshire. Please continue the excellent work that you have been doing to help raise awareness of this issue. (Link to Owen’s letter.)
Owen Trutwein
April 2012
Rubbish on motorway verges. Saddened by the state of our ‘green and not so pleasant land!
Dear Peter, I have just e-mailed our local MP for Cambs and Huntingdon District Council regarding the increasing amount of litter on our motorway verges and included the link to your guardian article. I too am saddened by the increasing amount of litter strewn along out motorways. I have noticed a lot of pallet wrap tangled in trees – I am wondering if it is being blown from commercial skips? I and my partner have driven a lot of miles along motorways and would think it would almost be impossible for that amount of litter to come from cars alone. I have never seen rubbish being thrown from cars – I would certainly take their car number and report them if I did. I have great admiration for you and what you are doing, if you start a petition I would be happy to help With kind regards
Sue Hose
Great website for a great cause.
M40 Oxford services litter. I discovered your website on Google after almost despairing at the disgusting state of the roadsides I drive past every day on my daily commute between Oxford where I live and Adwell village between J6 and 8a of the M40 where I work. Virtually every inch of roadside along my 20 mile journey is to some degree covered with disgusting litter presumably thrown out of car windows. Actually I vary between two or three different routes to work and literally every bit of roadside is litter covered. But I think the very worst part is around the Oxford M40 services around the roundabouts joining the services with the Aylesbury Road (A418?) It really does look like something from a horror movie, I wander has it ever been cleared. I actually saw a stretch of the A40 between the services and Milton Common being cleared a few weeks ago – it is now completely litter covered again after only a few weeks. I cannot begin to understand the mentality of a person who would throw anything out of a car window, I wander if the concept of not littering is even mentioned in schools. If only there was a way of catching, naming and shaming the low-life who selfishly ruin our beautiful countryside, I fear it simply isn’t policeable though. Anyway I admire you for setting up this website and will spread the word to everyone I know. All the best,
Neil Costin
Cleaning up the roadside ribbons of filth. I started our Pride of Place group ten years ago & we still have a monthly litter pick in our town today. I would really like to help you in your campaign. Please get back to me if I can help in any way. Litter sickens and angers me – especially as we have laws and paid officials in place to help prevent its spread. It is a constant reminder of what a selfish and law flouting nation we have become.
Why are the H.A. & Network Rail not being forced to clean up their acts & what are Lord Taylor, Mike Penning et al doing about it? Would an e-petition not help ? I’m sure there must be many thousands of citizens who would sign one.
John Woolmer
Just wanted to say that I think the work you are doing is great, and that you should be proud of yourself and the valiant efforts you undertake to ensure this beautiful (albeit partly) country is kept litter-free. As a young person there is a lot of stigma attached to people like myself who go out on litter picks, and it’s great when the responsible duty bodies do actually do the work they have to. After all, they are compelled by statutory duty to do it, but so often they seem to employ an unwritten policy of ‘we’ll ignore it until anyone complains, then make vague and ambigous health and safety concern references, and if you’re lucky finally send out a guy with a litter picker to do a half-decent job’. Anyway, rant over, and keep up the good work.
Andrew Catherall (15)
March 2012
Peter, may I also bring to your attention the appalling state of railway track verges. If one takes a journey from Heathrow/Gatwick the litter lying track side is disgraceful! We concentrate on our Motorways which is right, but litter on railway routes is just as bad and often, the first introduction to the UK by oversea visitors.
Alvar Thomas
Keep up the good work.
A14 is an absolute disgrace!! My husband and I drove for the first time to Suffolk from London this past weekend. We were absolutely sickened to see the amount of rubbish on the sides of the motorway – especially bad between Newmarket and Cambridgeshire. I am originally from Canada and never in my life (except in perhaps 3rd world countries), have I EVER seen so much rubbish on the side of a motorway. It is really disgraceful and sheds such a bad light on England. I cannot believe that the government allows this situation – ESPECIALLY when the world is coming to London for 2012 Olympics. Not exactly a great advert! What can we do to change this? E-petition perhaps? Rubbish is a particularly bad problem in the UK and I would like to be part of the solution.
Rachelle Tasse
Keep up the good work. Good result with Metrolink – well done!
Andrew Edgington
Thanks for what you are doing Peter, England has become a disgrace and action needs to be taken now!
David Kendrick
During January I witnessed the M42 in Warwickshire as being badly littered, and informed the HA as such, requesting a clear-up. Six weeks later there was no improvement, so I wrote to Mike Penning (as he’s in charge), asking why the HA is allowed to flout the law in this manner.
Weeks later I received a reply from the HA (who had presumably been forwarded my letter), listing the dates and areas on the M42 that had since been cleaned.
Not exactly the reply I had been expecting, but anyway – the HA tells me that their contractor (Amey) “aims to litter pick at least once per month along all routes“. One wonders whether this means every route will be picked once a month, or a pick will take place once a month somewhere…
I drove to London today from Derbyshire, and I can report that while the M1 north of Catthorpe was fairly littered, south of this wasn’t too bad, and the western M25 and the M4 into London were very clean. It still seems to me that the HA is being reactive rather than proactive with regards to litter, or at best carries out picks far too infrequently. Last September the M1 was quite spotless, and i wrote to the HA to congratulate them (credit where it’s due, I say), but I don’t think a pick has been done since then – certainly not once a month !
Ian Dare
Hello Peter, a man after my own heart! Well done on the campaign. This is a national disgrace. Noticed that the M6 around Stafford (central reservation) was very bad again on a trip up North this weekend. Any particular thoughts on that one? Happy to help the campaign.
John Ford
I am apalled by the level of litter on all our motorways. Not one motorway is exempt! This results in a blight on our countryside, an embarrassment to tourists, and should be subject to a radical overhaul in terms of responsibility not least as they do in the States with the use of those on probation etc.
Alvar Thomas
What you are doing is really important – we must get more people talking about this.
Jamie Goold
I applaud the work you are doing. Fantastic!
I live in Sussex near Brighton and the condition of the A27 near the city is incredibly bad. As well as the usual stuff chucked by motorists there is lots of plastic packaging and other debris which looks as though it has come from lorries with insecure loads possibly travelling to landfill sites or the incinerator at Newhaven. Who is responsible for monitoring these lorries and why is the law not enforced? Best wishes
Victoria Scott
Please can you add the A428 from the A1 to the A1303 at Cambridge to your list of litter blighted roads (especially the dual carrigeway part of the road) as I travelled along it yesterday as part of a diversion?
Peter Martin
AMAZING work you are doing! Longbridge/ Sherbourne roundabout near Warwick is a mess.
Luke Holland
I had the good fortune to hear you on the radio this morning and thought, “at last here’s someone who thinks the same way as I do”. I agree with you entirely and, if I had my way, I would have a camera on every branch of every tree to catch these filthy people who have no respect for the rest of us. I thought I was alone.
Lorna Zambon.
Well Done! I caught the end of your interview on LBC this morning. Firstly may I say “Thank you” for standing up and speaking out about this issue.
Despite your best efforts and putting the case across very well, I felt that the presenter was really out of order. After your interview he asked us the listener to admit that we had all thrown litter out of our cars. He implied that this is normal and acceptable behaviour. I was quite offended, as I have never thrown litter out of my car or in fact littered anywhere else for that matter. His implication that it was OK, is just indicative of the lowering of standards in the media to way below acceptable levels.
Rest assured that you have my support, for what is a completely avoidable nuisance.
Stuart Cook
Keep up the good work. The section of the M62 closest to Liverpool, Jns 4 – 6 is one of the filthiest I have seen in a long time. Do you have any ideas on the best way to get action?
David Hinder
February 2012
What you are doing is really important – we must get more people talking about this.
Jamie Goold
Trunk road litter. Great initiative. I travelled from Colchester to Leicester and back last week – almost all on trunk roads (A120, M11, A14, A6) and the WHOLE journey was blighted by rubbish and debris on the verges and central reservations. Like others I’m appalled both by how filthy we are as a nation and how infrequently the mess is cleared up.
Peter Martin
January 2012
I can’t tell you how pleased I am to find this site, well done Peter! I was beginning to think no one cared about how filthy and dirty our country and road network had become. I do agree and thought for a long time now, as do other supporters, that visitors must have a very bad impression of our country, litter decorates our roads and trees are festooned with plastic bags . The situation is really quite depressing, one; that the litter has been left there in the first place and two; it is allowed to stay there…. The information on who to contact in order to take action is very helpful indeed. Thank you.
Sue Burgess
Peter, I am dispairing that the litter situation is just getting worse. It’s literally out of control on the roads I have travelled along recently, A120, A 505, M11 , A14 , A10. It’s perhaps the worst I can remember. What’s the matter with everyone? Especially the ***** councils. My theory is they are leaving it to just before the Olympics, as visitors to this country at the moment, must think they are in Egypt or India. I am ashamed to go out it’s appalling.
Andrew Gates
Thank god someone cares! I thought the roads were bad up here in the North-East but recently had a coach trip down to Peterborough. From S.Yorks onward, the A1 is littered almost beyond belief especially in Lincs and Cambs. At least up here the A1, A69 etc are cleaned once a year. Down there it looks like there’s 40 years of litter! Depressing…
Andrew Swinster
Congratulations on creating this website.We will do our best to support.
Jill and Mike Trenholme
November 2011
Inspirational. When l am out and about in the local area l carry a carrier bag to put rubbish in. Mainly it is sweet wrappers and empty cans. I fear the mothers of the children attending local schools do not have a investment in even trying to keep our street litter free. Why?
Ann Hillis .
October 2011
Great stuff. keep up the good work!
Sue Brown
Underground Station litter clearance. Good luck with Boris. Well done Peter for finally getting the authorities to clean things up. What a shame that they should resort to such hostile tactics when they should be thanking you for your feedback; diligent research and persistence. It is shameful that organisations receiving public money should waste it on expensive lawyers engaged in basic bullying tactics. I think the mis-use of funds should be taken up somewhere with relevant audit responsibilities.
Andrew Edgington
Well done Peter. It’s absolutely astonishing that the “big state” would rather use a barrister to discredit an honest citizen, than simply doing what they are obliged to do and clean up the litter (which would be a lot cheaper).
Jonathan Burns
.
September 2011
Well done Peter I admire your perseverance regarding this important issue. I and many other people have noticed the phenomenal amount of litter disposed of along our highways. If you had not taken action we would all have ended up driving along a rubbish tip. The root cause of this problem must be resolved and the perpetrators of this filthy habit brought to justice. Maybe a law should be passed that confiscates the vehicle from drivers that dispose of litter onto the highway.
Ray Krystofiak
We must respect our roadsides. You have my support. I cringe at the litter by our roadsides. Our European neighbours respect their countries far more than we do. We must relearn that respect too.
Frances Munro
Thank you Peter for creating a positive atmosphere for collective social responsibility! Congratulations, I am admire your perseverance and determination to tackle this sad issue of the UK – our Litter State. I have spent the last 25 years travelling for my job in Europe and I can confirm that Britain is THE DIRTIEST place I have ever been to.
John Lindsay
I have followed vehicles driving down the small road I travel each day from home to town, The passengers in these vehicles throw out rubbish from the motors some times trying to deposit in headge rows, I wish there was a web site we could send the registration to and maybe a letter is sent to warn the owner of this vehicle, its so frustrating
Gerald Wood
A Nation of Litter. Fully support your aims with CPRE & CLUB. A303 in Somerset, A358 in Somerset, rural lanes in Wiltshire, public parks, A4 between Chippenham and Bath, A350 throughout its length – ALL AWASH WITH LITTER. Why don’t people dispose of their litter properly?
Mike Waight
Great stuff. I applaud this effort, and personally abhore litter. Would like to see more effort to use laws already in place to clean up our towns, not just the highways.
Tony Warner
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July 2011
Person littering on motorway: just now on the m6 were stuck in traffic and I saw a person getting out of his car and littering. The person car number plate is DY11 NBE
Jack
I’m active in my local Merton community and currently threatening the Council and Tramlink with a litter abatement order after many complaints its the last resort. We have been trying to get them to clean all the litter and debris on the embankments, pathways and bin areas of Mitcham tramstop. No one is prepared to take responsibility . Regular Cleansing is severely lacking but we are determined to get them to clean up their act!
Dionne Wilkinson
I am fully supportive of your campaign as the problem of littering in this country is dreadful as far as I am concerned. We now seem to have a generation ( if not more ), who seem to think it is perfectly acceptable to simply dump litter wherever / whenever ! I am frustrated at the apparent lack of government / council action with regard to this issue. Can you advise what steps can be taken in my local area to get something done . NB: My area is Tyne and Wear
Steve Dawson
.
May 2011
Stop the Drop’s own Will Gates works very closely with Peter Silverman – a tenacious and inspirational individual – on litter abatement orders. Peter’s website provides some fascinating information about what he’s been up to and the significant progress he’s making.
Bill Bryson
Well done I think the M40 along which I often drive is looking better.
Amanda Benton
The escalating and continual scourge of litter - Your campaign is most needed and now we need to ‘up-the-ante’!
I lead a small residents association in a part of east London where litter, fly-tipping, spitting and dog fouling has reached epidemic proportions and is costing our council millions.
It seems to me that the country needs a ‘litter tsar’ to drive behaviour change amongst the citizens but also the relevant local authorities, many of whom seem to have completely abrogated their responsibilities in this regard.
There is no strategic national ‘vision’ for the eradication of the litter problem in England and consequently there is no strategic national plan.
That is why we need a key individual and team to develop a national vision and strategy and drive behaviour change.
James Phillips
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April 2011
Keep up the good work. I am dismayed at how the roads/pavements become so littered with very little response from Highways Agency and local councils. I am constantly contacting my council, East Herts, to clean up the roads and pavements but I feel like I am losing the battle!
Keith Phillips
A41 Its about time someone did something!!! Three years ago I carried out a contract in Hemel Hemstead and I could’nt believe how much rubbish was on both sides of the roadway, I tried to report this to the local council to be told that they were short of money!! I have recently had to use this section of road again and to my dismay 3 years later its just as bad if not worse! The section of highway I am talking about is from the M25 Junction towards Chesham etc. Many thanks.
Roger Darvell.
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March 2011
What a great website Peter and thank goodness there are people like you around tackling the sickening litter problem. I thought it was just me just noticing it and going crazy. Great success on the M40. Hope it’s still litter free.
The uk is trashed with litter and depressing to look at when travelling. My recent tourist visit travelling from Leicester through the lovely Rutland Water to historic Stamford in Lincolnshire was spoilt by roadside litter throughout the journey to and from it. (A47, A6003, A606) Plasic bottles, cans, plastic tangled in hedges and trees. Tesco Bags with rubbish inside (neatly tied up may I say). Laybys full of rubbsih. WITH NO BINS!( and we only see probably a third of what is on the ground in a car). Most of it will be covered by vegeatation growth during the summer when no doubt the Highways agency/councils will monitor it for their records and class it grade B or above. highways agency is a joke and obviously not co-ordinating litter clearences properly or efficiently. Why are there no bins in many parking laybys? You see litter that has been on the side of roads for years.
When travelling in France for holidays you just do not see this mess. Why? are they more efficient at clearing any mess up or do the french people take more responsibilty regarding disposal of their rubbish. I think its a combination of both. Keep up the great work you and others are doing.
Dave Curley
Well done keep it up! If you want any free advice please get in touch.
Andrew Munro
Well done. This sort of action is long overdue. I wholly agree with you: the litter on our highways and trunk roads is a national disgrace. It would be nice to think that the Highways Agency could be shamed into raising its game.
Matthew Jones
I have recently found about your plight when I printed off some information about the litter abatement order, publicised by Bill Bryson recently. Can I say first of all, nice one and well done, keep up the good work!
Rachael Hesketh
Is there a petition I can sign ? I agree with everything you say on this subject and I have thought for years and years that the Highways Agency needs to get the verges cleared as soon as possible. Its a national disgrace.
Carolyn Greenaway
What you are doing deserves support, you certainly have mine.Well done. I am simply disgusted by the amount of litter that I see in England now, it’s no longer the England that I used to know or would expect.Something is fundamentally wrong.
Brian Oliver
Make Britain Great & Green Again! The litter along the A14 in particular from Cambridge to Newmarket and beyond is thick with litter everywhere you look! Bags stuck in hedgerows, blowing like flags from trees, and debris all along the verge for as far as the eye can see. It is a hazard to wildlife and to drivers as it blows into the road now also. It has to be cleared urgently.
Samantha Munro
February 2011
Nice work! I am delighted to hear that you have been successful in using LAO’s.
Ian Francis
Peter, I totally support your actions on litter.
Andrew Gates
December 2010
Finding your website has brightened up a very grey winter’s day!
Roger Davis
October 2010
Excellent work Peter!
Andy Killworth
September 2010
Congratulations to Peter and Clean Highways from Campaign to Protect Rural England. Congratulations for establishing a really useful website. It has and continues to be a wealth of information on all things section 91 and is a real inspiration. I hope that you attract many supporters keen to take action into their own hands and get their local environment cleaned.
Will Gates (CPRE)
Well done Peter Keep up the good work.
Ray Wallis
July 2010
Really glad to see the sterling efforts you have made against the HA along the M40. I have been battling with Area 4 HA which covers the network in Kent. After years of battling with Kent County Council intervention, the HA maintain the A2 in North Kent on the ‘fringe’ of the EPA 1990. The M20 is maintained free of litter to a higher standard because it is a tourist route to Dover and the politicians use it to access the county town of Maidstone. Area 4 has trouble clearing the A2 and M2 between Dartford and Faversham, especially between Dartford and Gillingham Kent. You have inspired me to enforce the EPA 1990 against the HA. Well Done!
Brian Reynolds
I just have just read the piece in the Guardian about you and how your campaign began. This is fantastic work you are doing, please keep it up! I am currently based in Los Angeles, which has it’s own litter problems but I have been inspired by the work you are doing and plan to work with my son’s school to address the problem of litter locally!
Martin Jago
I have read an article in the guardian newspaper regarding the problem with litter and the way you have dealt with it. I have also had problems with the A40 in Greenford, and I draw inspiration from your efforts, and am continuing in the same vain of which you are to get the problem resolved. Well Done
Douglas Dimpsey
Well done Peter for showing the way. have often been appalled at the state of the highways and having read your article in “the week” I was very compelled to trace the root of the story. You have done a great job at explaining the process and I am sure the information will be helpful to lots of people.
Jason Baxter
I am delighted to hear of the sterling work you are doing re litter. I frequently travel throughout this country and find that I can’t enjoy the wonderful countryside because I am constantly looking at the litter. I would love to get involved with your campaign. What can I do to help?
Judith Gilmore
June 2010
Very inspired by your lead. Is it possible to do the same thing to enforce London borough councils (and their contractors) to clear up litter from urban areas and in particular municipal flower beds? I hope so!
Kirsten Downer
Well done – on many occasions I have been appalled by all the litter on the M40 verges. I thought, maybe one day the Highways Authority will eventually clean up the mess. Congratulations for all your hard work in resolving this matter.
Ray Krystofiak
May 2010
Very Interested to see the outcome of your case. Why don’t we ever target the litterers? I’m sure the people trying to pick up the litter are doing their best.
John Williams
