A VOLUNTEER has described Highways England as "one of the biggest fly-tippers" after he found several traffic cones and road signs discarded on roadsides.

Dave Sutherland from Woodingdean volunteers regularly as a litter-picker with Brighton and Hove City Council's "tidy up" teams, including on slip roads off the A27.

Over the Easter weekend, Dave collected several road signs, traffic cones and sandbags from the slip roads off the A27 at Falmer village, as well as general litter.

He said: "I've been a litter picker for years and the A27 has become a nightmare.

The Argus:

"Over the Easter weekend I did some litter-picking on my own at Falmer as it's quieter over bank holidays.

"My main concern is there was lots of leftover signage, traffic cones and sandbags just thrown into the hedges.

"It just doesn't seem to be a concern for Highways England. It's infuriating as obviously there are fines for fly-tipping in the city, but they are really one of the biggest fly-tippers.

"The councils don't always collect these roadworks and diversion signs. The big metal frames are massive.

"I think they try their best but possibly feel it's not theirs to remove."

Dave said he collected between ten and 15 traffic cones and ten and 15 sandbags in one weekend, as well as four large road signs.

The Argus:

He says the problem of litter on the A27 and slip roads, particularly at Falmer and off Dyke Road, has got worse during lockdown.

Dave said: "It's just got out of hand. The A27 is one of the worst roads in the country for rubbish.

"You realise it's not just people throwing litter out of cars but big bits of industrial waste and bits of polystyrene coming off trucks.

"What's really sad is I've come across lots of dead animals caught in litter. I find field mice trapped in cans or crisp packets, and hedgehogs too.

"I also picked up 50 face masks over the weekend - they are a nightmare for animals as they get tangled in them.

"The sandbags are really heavy and they get embedded into the ground - so that's plastic going into the soil too."

It comes after statistics from the RSPCA showed the charity received its highest number of callouts for animals trapped in litter in East and West Sussex last year, out of anywhere in England outside London.

The Argus:

Under the Environmental Protection Act, councils are responsible for keeping roads clear of litter - excluding motorways and special roads such as bridges or tunnels, which are Highways England's responsibility to keep clean.

Highways England said it is also responsible for the installation and removal of equipment on the network for its work.

A spokesman said: "On completion of work any equipment is removed from the network and an inspector will check to ensure this has been done.

"However, other contractors may put signs out on the network and in that case, it will be for them to pick up on completion of their works. For example, a housing development.

"Signage that is being used on the slip roads off Falmer and Dyke roads which relate to Highways England works in the area will be removed on completion of the work later this month."

Highways England service maintenance manager Matthew Salt said: "Responsibility for litter picking on major A roads such as the A27 sits with the local authority, and it would require new legislation to change this.

The Argus:

"However, we do work closely with councils to ensure litter picking is better coordinated with other highway maintenance works and help them best utilise any traffic management we have in place which allows them to work safely on our roads.

“The litter on our roads can cause a hazard to drivers, our workers and wildlife. If people didn't drop litter from their vehicles in the first place, it wouldn't need to be picked up. We're urging people to think twice before tossing it out of their car windows and take it home instead.”

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said the authority is "very keen" to help tackle the problem of litter on the A27 and A23, and has allocated an extra £55,000 a year towards it.

The spokesman said: “The A27 is owned by Highways England. Councils along the route are responsible for removing litter from verges, while Highways England are responsible for cutting back the vegetation and strimming the grass.

“This means we need to coordinate closely with Highways England. We need their permission to access the road, and we need to close lanes to enable safe working – this is a legal requirement.

“Highways England has recently assured us that they are very keen to work with us on this.

The Argus:

“Unfortunately we had one litter pick postponed in February due to very difficult weather conditions.

“However, in recent weeks we have cleared more than six tonnes of litter from stretches of the A27 and its slip roads in the west of the city.

“We will be doing the stretch from Hollingbury to Hove as soon as Highways England can confirm dates that work for them in terms of traffic management.

“We believe vehicles shedding insecure loads is a big factor in the A27 litter, as well as personal carelessness.

“With this in mind our environmental enforcement team has been carrying out joint patrols with Sussex Police to check vehicles for waste carrier licences and make sure that loads are secure.

“We would also appeal to everyone who uses our roads to take their litter home with them rather than throw it into the road.”