A Greater Manchester motorway has been branded ‘appalling’ for the piles of rubbish dumped on a verge.
Footage shows the exit slip road for J3 of the M6 plagued by waste - right next to a 'do not litter' sign warning of £2,500 fines.
The clip, posted on Twitter by campaign group Clean Up Britain, has been viewed more than 60,000 times. “Look at this… the appallingly littered M66 near Bury in Lancashire,” the group said.
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“Once again, National Highways should be ashamed of breaking the law and leaving their road in such a pitiful state.”
The junction links the motorway to Pilsworth Road, where a landfill site is based. It’s possible that some of the litter fell from vehicles turning right to go to the tip.
Paul Williams, from National Highways, says the verge will be cleaned-up this week. It was last tidied in July 2022, and was supposed to given some TLC on Sunday (January 15), but was postponed due to snow and icy conditions.
Mr Williams, National Highways’ head of service delivery, said: “Millions of people travel on National Highways roads like the M66 every day and our network quickly becomes littered from vehicles and unsecure loads. Litter is a serious social problem with devastating consequences for wildlife and the environment.
"Clearing litter from the side of roads also exposes maintenance crews to significant risk. Our priority is to keep our roads safe and well maintained, and litter is a huge issue that we are tackling daily. We urge people to save litter for the bin, rather than throwing it on the side of the road.
“Litter was picked from this section of the M66 as part of maintenance work carried out last July.. The amount of litter on the slip road became apparent following grass cutting and another litter pick had been scheduled for Sunday, 15 January 2023.
“This litter pick was suspended due to poor weather including snow and ice. This work is now scheduled for completion by the end of this week.”
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