MORE than 150 bags of litter was collected on Wiltshire’s roads in the past week.

On week 11 of Wiltshire Council’s litter picking operation on major road routes – a total of 157 bags were collected.

For nearly four months, the council has collected over 1,000 bags filled with rubbish left at roadsides such as the B4696 and A303.

On Facebook, the council asked that residents: “Please play your part to protect our beautiful countryside by disposing of your waste responsibly.”

Up to June 2021, the government reported that Wiltshire Council had collected 2,215 bags of litter and 22 vehicle tyres (around 29 tonnes of rubbish), including 981 bags from the A36 and A303.

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Sam Fox, Wiltshire Council’s Corporate Director, Place, said: “Our teams have been doing a fantastic job collecting litter on the Wiltshire highways network over the past 12 weeks, but it’s shameful that they have had to collect 2,215 bags and counting.

“Much of this litter will have been thrown from moving vehicles, so we’d ask all motorists to please take their litter home and put it in their household bin - not throw it into the countryside, where it can harm the environment and wildlife, and also look unsightly.

“We spend more than £2.5m each year picking up litter in Wiltshire. This could have been spent on other projects such as environmental initiatives and improvements to our public rights of way.”