Call for action as rubbish-strewn A roads near Leighton Buzzard branded 'a disgrace'

Retired Linslade businessman Keith Bailey has called for action to rid our A roads of the ever increasing loads of litter ruining our countryside.

The former retail buyer, who’s lived in the area since 1975, says: “It's bad every year but this year it’s unbelievable. It looks as though several refuse vehicles have deposited their loads.

“It starts along the A5 in Dunstable and carries on along the Leighton Buzzard bypass (A505/A4146) towards the McDonalds roundabout at Milton Keynes.

“I realise budgets are tight but the whole area needs a regular clean up. It’s a shame so many people throw rubbish from their vehicles. A national campaign would help – I understand the UK spends more than £1 billion on litter picking.”

This is the figure the Keep Britain Tidy campaign estimates is spent annually.

Keith regularly drives through Germany and the Netherlands and says there is never a scrap of litter.

He adds: “In 2019 we drove from Riga in Latvia to Tallinn in Estonia. It’s a four hour journey on a highway similar to the A5. It was spotless the whole way.”

Our photographer Tony Margiocchi was also appalled. He comments: “It’s a serious issue.”

A council spokesperson said: “We are responsible for litter picking along the A4146, A505 and A5 that surround Leighton Buzzard. We’ve received reports from residents about the litter and have plans to undertake a litter pick along all these roads by the end of March, as part of our regular schedule.

“We really appreciate people doing the right thing with their litter, by taking it home to dispose of correctly. We take littering extremely seriously, and we will take action if we identify offenders.

"We investigate reports and we gather evidence to identify offenders, prosecuting or issuing them with fixed penalty notices of £150 wherever we can.

"Residents can help us reduce this crime by reporting any incidents to our customer services team on 0300 300 8302 or by emailing [email protected].

“We are not aware of the litter being worse this year than usual, but all littering is a problem, and we continue to urge people to do the right things with their litter.”