A5 spring clean starts as people are encouraged to think before they litter

Tamworth Borough Council Street Scene team have been out in force to tackle the huge, regular task of cleansing the raised sections of the A5 eastbound last weekend.

The busy A5 that is managed by Highways England, is an area that is well-known sadly for its high level of litter caused from vehicles travelling along the dual carriageway; making it an area that is extremely hazardous to litter pick and cleanse.

Street Scene intend to cleanse the westbound sections this weekend, Saturday, March 6, now that the extreme wet weather has passed and the grass verges and banks are becoming more accessible for the team to safely carry out the work. This work will continue for the next few weeks until all areas are clear. (Subject to weather conditions.)

Tamworth Borough Council are working in partnership with Highways England and our neighbouring authorities to agree a strategy for future maintenance of the A5.

Working on or adjacent to high speed dual carriageways is classed as a hazardous activity and the team must follow safety guidance issued by the Health and Safety and Highways England, in order to protect the workforce from harm.

The access to the A5 is also limited by the following situations:-

• Accidents & Emergencies
• Vehicle Breakdowns
• Traffic Flow (unable to undertake these works if it compromises normal traffic flow)
• Busy Periods (between 7am – 9.30am and 3pm – 6pm)
• Periods of reduced visibility (including rain, sleet, snow, fog etc.
• Low light levels (periods where there is a negative impact on driver visibility).

In Tamworth, the borough council’s Street Scene teams collect litter and waste seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year, including bank holidays, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

They are regularly supported by community-spirited groups and individuals who already volunteer their time to help keep the town clean throughout the year – but there is always more work to do.

Tamworth Borough Council is encouraging more individuals to join a local litter picking group once restrictions have eased, to help keep local parks, streets and areas clean and lend a hand to declare that litter pollution is not acceptable.

Anyone who would like to litter pick with their support bubble in their area is asked to contact the Street Scene team on 01827 709709, who will advise on locations that need attention, provide litter pickers and bags, give health and safety advice and arrange for bagged waste to be collected.

Cllr John Chesworth, Cabinet member for Culture and Operational Services, said: “Our teams do work incredibly hard to keep Tamworth as clean as possible, 365 days per year, but it’s a big job and there is a lot to keep on top of.

“The A5 dual carriageway is a vast area and keeping it clean is a never ending task. As the busiest road in Tamworth it continually accumulates litter and requires constant cleansing, which often cannot be achieved due to weather and safety conditions.

“We hope that people will recognise the hard work that our team and volunteers do to clear our grass verges, roadsides, parks, streets and Local Nature Reserves. It is an ongoing task and in an ideal world people wouldn’t drop it. If we all do our bit, we can help make a difference.

“We encourage everyone to think about the impact we are having on the environment and be inspired to grab a litter picker and a bag and give even more parks, residential areas and public spaces a good deep clean.”

On average, Tamworth Borough Council’s Street Scene team sweep around 80 tonnes of litter and detritus from the streets every month and manually pick up around 40 tonnes of litter and fly tipping waste.

The mechanically swept up waste is transferred to a reclamation site in Coleshill where oils and other recyclables are extracted. Of the handpicked waste, scrap metals, electrical items and hazardous waste are removed and the rest is sent to a ‘waste to energy’ processing plant where it is converted into electricity.

Tamworth Borough Council also has over 900 litter and dog waste bins. The borough wide cyclical bin emptying program is undertaken seven days per week with bins in high demand areas serviced more than once per day.

In addition, the council responds to service reports and aims to remove fly tipped waste within five days of receipt and has a 24-hour response time for high priority waste removal such as syringes, offensive graffiti, drug related litter and broken glass.

However, while the Street Scene crews work hard to keep the borough clean, there is always more work to be done and help from the community is welcomed.

Any residents who would like to get involved are welcome to join Tamworth Volunteer Litter Pickers Facebook group and become a part of a community of local residents picking litter.

Alternatively if you would like to be involved with local volunteer or conservation group litter picks, contact the Wild About Tamworth Project Officer: Mobile: 07970 067711 or email: tamworth@staffs-wildlife.org.uk. 

It is a criminal offence to drop litter. People can be fined £80 if spotted dropping litter, with a maximum penalty of £2,500.