As drivers take to the South West for their domestic holidays, Highways England is issuing advice to keep the region's roadsides clear of litter.

Litter on the majority of A roads in the region is the responsibility of local authorities to clear, but in order that it can be collected safely Highways England often teams up with councils to co-ordinate any necessary closures.

Reducing the amount of roadside litter not only improves the lives of both communities and motorists, but also provides a significant saving to local authorities in terms of time and money spent on clearing rubbish from the roadsides.

Now Highways Englandiscallingon drivers to do their bit to reduce litter levels following the completion of a big regional effort during the Great BritishSpring Clean(28 May-13 June).

Chris Regan, South West Head of Service Delivery for Highways England, said: "Littering is a social problem across the country and our priority, working closely with our partners, is to keep our roads safe and well maintained for drivers and neighbouring communities.

"Roadside litter is not just unsightly but it's a threat to wildlife and the environment and it can also be a safety hazard for drivers, can block drains and picking it up puts roadworkers at risk.

"Litter collections on our A roads are the responsibility of local authorities and hopefully we can get the message across that litter not only impacts people's lives but also has a significant economic impact for our councils across the region."

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.

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"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."

This year alone on the road network:

Wiltshire Council has collected 2,215 bags of litter and 22 vehicle tyres (around 29 tonnes of rubbish), including 981 bags from the A36 and A303

An estimated 20 tonnes of litter, tyres, car bumpers and signage were swept and removed from Cornwall's trunk roads in a six-week clean-up that started in mid-April.

Devon authorities spend around £7 million annually keeping the county clean, and the Clean Devon Partnership is working with business and residents to tackle this anti-social habit