A1 littering leaves South Kesteven Council with £60k bill

Residents have complained about the amount of litter dumped by the A1

Removing rubbish dumped at the side of a major road in Lincolnshire will cost a council more than £60,000.

South Kesteven District Council is responsible for clearing a 30-mile stretch of the A1 between South Witham and Long Bennington.

It said the amount of discarded drinks cans, fast food wrappers and plastic had prompted residents to complain.

Deputy leader Ashley Baxter said it was an issue facing councils "along the entire stretch of the A1".

To clear the rubbish safely requires specially trained operatives and the closure of one lane of the road.

"We are keen to stop it getting out of control, but it's not something we can do on a daily basis," Mr Baxter said.

He said the authority would target particular "grot spots" but that motorists who litter do not think of the consequences, with the clean-up costs taking cash away from "essential services like housing and leisure facilities".

Deputy council leader Ashley Baxter said they would target "grot spots" for cleaning

Littering can result in a fine of £150 in the area and campaign group Clean Up Britain have said that should be increased.

Dr Roger Bretherton, a psychologist at the University of Lincoln, said one reason for littering is that motorists do not consider motorways as "real places".

"They are places you pass through," he said.

He said if people saw a lot of rubbish by the road they did not feel guilty about throwing their own litter away and saw it as a "victimless crime".

From a behavioural point of view it was "inherently rewarding to have something you don't like go away," he said.

"You are driving along and you have some rubbish in the car and you don't want it any more so you wang it out the window."

He said in many cases motorists did not think of the people who might become responsible for clearing it away.