Litter cleaning plan for busy roads in Eastbourne

Grass verges and hedges are cluttered with litter which has prompted volunteers to start litter picking rounds.

This week a spokesperson at East Sussex County Council said lanes will have to be closed for many stretches of roads – particularly busy dual carriageways like the A259, A27 and A22 – so the rubbish can be cleared away.

A county council spokesperson said, “We work closely with district and borough councils to close lanes on high speed roads, such as the A22, so we can coordinate grass verge cutting, gulley emptying and any other maintenance that might be needed and minimise disruption to road users.

“Permits have been issued for lane closures on other sections of the A22 but we are yet to finalise the dates for the closures on the high speed dual carriageways.”

The littering problem is particularly bad on the A22 Golden Jubilee way between Eastbourne and Polegate and also along the Pevensey Bypass leading up to Cophall Roundabout.

A spokesperson at Wealden District Council said, “The A22 Golden Jubilee Way is a location we are currently seeking to work in partnership with Eastbourne Borough Council. We have the section north of the railway and they have the south. “As it’s a fast dual carriageway it does require traffic management to close a lane to protect the workforce and we are trying to organise a permit for this to happen with East Sussex Highways.

“Then both Eastbourne’s street cleansing team and ours Biffa team will be able to coordinate the work at the same time. As soon as we have the permit approved for the date ESCC Highways allow we will undertake the litter picking.

“Much as we appreciate the hard work of volunteer litter pickling groups and work with many across Wealden, we would advise they do not work on this road because of the risk associated with traffic travelling at high speeds.”