Human waste and litter closes Thurrock laybys

A number of laybys on the A1089 near Tilbury and the A13 in Thurrock have been closed

Laybys on two major Essex roads have been closed because of problems with human waste and litter.

Highways England said a total of nine laybys had been closed on the A13 and A1089 in Thurrock because litter was becoming "a hazard to health".

Thurrock Council said the mess in laybys on the A13 often included excrement.

Highways England said it was working with hauliers and the council to tackle the issue of litter in the area.

Read more on this story and other Essex news

Lorry driver Les Smith said: "There's a lot of flytipping and rubbish, but also urine from overnighters, bags where people have had to do it [defecate] somewhere and they've left it in a bag on the side of the road.

"There are guys on a long break overnight and if they wake up and need to go to the toilet they just jump out and do what they have to do by the side of the road."

Mr Smith said he thought bringing in more organised lorry parks would help to address the problem.

In a statement, Highways England said: "The reasons for closing laybys include safety concerns about their design as well as the hazard of litter, and large amounts of human waste.

"Driver behaviour at the roundabout was also becoming a social nuisance."

The agency said it had collected nearly 42,000 bags of litter on and around the M25 last year.