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.

The busy A5 bypass 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 have started to cleanse the A5 sections and will continue for the next few weeks until all areas are clear; subject to weather conditions and the wet grass verges and banks are accessible for the team to safely carry out the work.

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.

Any residents who would like to get involved in litter picking are welcome to join Tamworth Volunteer Litter Pickers Facebook group, or The Tamworth Resident's Cool Pickers, 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. 

Sarah McGrandle, Tamworth Borough Council’s Assistant Director for Operations and Leisure, said “Our teams and local volunteer groups, 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.

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