Clean up of A2 ahead of anti-litter campaign

An initiative to clear rubbish on a busy road near Dover is set to begin on Monday ahead of a campaign to prevent litter being dropped.

Some lane closures will be in place on the A2 as waste management company Veolia carry out clearance work over the next two weeks.

The company cleared 23 tonnes of litter from the road between the Duke of York and Whitfield roundabouts in 2024 as part of a council initiative.

Dover District Council said litter costs taxpayers to clean up, looks unsightly and can endanger motorists and wildlife.

National Highways' head of customer journeys, Freda Rashdi, says across England the organisation has teams litter-picking "almost every day", which can involve lane closures.

She said this would be unnecessary "if people didn't drop rubbish in the first place".

A six-month awareness campaign aimed at discouraging littering by motorists will start in the summer.

New bins and signage will be installed at laybys on the A2 between Whitfield Roundabout and the Port of Dover as part of the scheme.

Ferries and nearby service stations will also display anti-littering posters, and messaging will be added to correspondence from ferry companies.

Jamie Pout, the district council's cabinet member for environmental services, said: "We hope that this joint campaign will draw attention to the blight of discarded litter on our roads and encourage drivers to use the bins provided or take their litter home with them."

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