Colchester A12 clean up results in tonne of waste removed

Colchester Council’s street care and safety team collected more than 1,100kg of waste across the city in October, including major A12 clean-ups.

The haul included tyres, abandoned roadwork signs and waste from two fly-tipping incidents.

Martin Goss, responsible for waste, neighbourhoods and leisure at Colchester Council, said: "Our street care and safety teams work hard throughout the year to keep Colchester clean, safe and welcoming, often carrying out this work in challenging conditions and alongside busy roads.

Many items were cleared such as abandoned road signs (Image: Colchester Council)

"The fact that more than a tonne of litter and waste was removed during October alone shows the impact that careless littering continues to have on our environment.

"Every piece of rubbish that is dropped or dumped illegally affects our communities, spoils local areas and takes valuable resources to clear up.

"I'd like to thank our teams and our partners at Colchester MoD for their efforts and encourage everyone to play their part in keeping Colchester clean by disposing of waste responsibly."

Tyres were also cleared from the A12 (Image: Colchester Council)

On October 23, council crews used an overnight A12 closure for essential maintenance to clear four kilometres of the London-bound carriageway from Junction 25.

Crews removed 710kg of waste during the clean-up.

Additional operations targeted other sections of the A12.

On October 6, crews collected about 185kg of litter around Langham Junction, including a discarded roof rack.

The council also sent two mechanical sweepers after hedge-cutting work to leave the area clean and tidy.

On October 14, crews cleared about 100kg of litter from the northbound carriageway near Domsey Chase, including HGV debris, a metal bumper and a road cone.

The council and Colchester MOD filled 14 black bags with litter along Weir Lane in just 25 minutes.

The clean-up produced about 138kg of waste, including discarded car parts and road cones.

The council said the clear-ups are part of ongoing work to keep neighbourhoods clean and tackle littering and fly-tipping.