Overgrown and full of litter

Updates

• Thank you for contacting National Highways about litter.

  We have passed your report to our local inspector who will review the issue as part of their next inspection.

  Littering by people is, unfortunately, a behaviour that has a big impact on some parts of our roads. We aim to keep our roads as tidy and free of litter as we can. Our litter picking is carefully planned to try to minimise the impact it has on road users and the safety of our people.

  Any allocated funds we receive are prioritised for safety and essential work like carriageway and infrastructure defects. Since litter removal is costly, we’ll combine it with other maintenance tasks overtime whenever possible. While this approach may lead to delays, leaving litter roadside longer than our customers would prefer, it minimises the frequency of disruptions.

  We manage an extensive road network across the south of England. When recurring litter hotspots exceed the levels set by the Defra Code of Practice (Grades A to D), we’ll instruct our maintenance partners to prioritise clearing them outside our usual yearly cyclical maintenance if required.

  Vegetation maintenance follows a yearly cycle, ensuring necessary locations are addressed at least once per year. Additional work is carried out only if a site requires more frequent attention or poses a safety risk. Unfortunately, vegetation that may be considered cosmetically unsightly won’t warrant extra maintenance.

  We’ll continue to monitor the area through regular inspections. Should any safety issues arise, we’ll arrange for remedial work to take place.

  Kind regards

  National Highways

  State changed to: Closed

  Posted by National Highways at 16:36, Tuesday 5 August 2025