A34 litter picking responsibility questioned by councillor

Concerns have been raised over persistent litter problems on the dual carriageway, with some describing the current system for clearing rubbish as “highly inefficient”.

Emily Smith, Vale of White Horse district councillor for Botley and Sunningwell, said: “Residents living near the A34 frequently raise concerns about the amount of litter along the dual carriageway and ask for the council’s support in addressing this issue.

Traffic on the A34 (Image: NQ)

“Litter not only looks untidy but can also have a negative impact on people’s mental health, wildlife, and the local economy.”

She said the mess alongside the busy stretch of road poses risks to wildlife, mental health and the local economy.

National Highways manage most trunk roads and motorways, but the responsibility for litter clearance on the A34 falls to the district councils through which the road passes.

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Access for litter picking is only granted during road closures for maintenance, as it is unsafe for teams to operate while the road is open to traffic.

Ms Smith said: “Permission is only given when the A34 is closed for maintenance works, as it is not safe for council staff or our waste contractor’s staff to work on the carriageway while it is open to traffic.

Botley and Sunningwell district councillor Emily Smith (Image: Vale of White Horse District Council)

“Although Vale of White Horse District Council and our contractors work hard to coordinate litter clearance on the A34, this is time consuming and depends on multiple organisations coordinating staff availability during road closures, which often occur overnight and at short notice.

“This coordination must be repeated in every council area through which each National Highways trunk road passes, which is far from efficient.”

She asked whether the council would support legislative change to make National Highways directly responsible for litter clearance on their routes.

Robert Clegg, cabinet member for environmental services, climate action and nature recovery, said the council supports a change in the system.

Litter at the side of a layby on the A34 through Oxford (Image: Ed Nix)

Mr Clegg said: “The council’s officers and contractors work hard to ensure that litter is cleared from across the district, achieving excellent results in the vast majority of areas.

“The areas along the A34 are an unfortunate exception to this; not from a lack of effort on the part of the council’s officers and contractors, but rather due to the highly inefficient framework that they must operate within.”

He explained that substantial time is spent coordinating with National Highways and its contractors to secure safe access during road closures, which are often subject to last-minute changes or cancellations.

“If National Highways were responsible for the cleansing, then they could coordinate much more efficiently and effectively, likely achieving better results at lower cost than at current,” he added.

“We would therefore support a change in legislation to give National Highways the responsibility for cleaning up the assets where there is restricted access to street cleansing crews.”

He also called for tougher enforcement measures and public awareness campaigns to address the culture of littering from vehicles.

Mr Clegg said: “Greater use of signage, cameras, and control of cargo on high-speed roads should also be considered.”