The amount of litter seen driving along Eastbourne’s roads is disgusting

From: Mike GrantBeach Road
Lottbridge Drove, Eastbourne (Photo by Jon Rigby) SUS-161105-085713008Lottbridge Drove, Eastbourne (Photo by Jon Rigby) SUS-161105-085713008
Lottbridge Drove, Eastbourne (Photo by Jon Rigby) SUS-161105-085713008

I recently drove from my home in Eastbourne to Falmer in Brighton.

My route took me up Lottbridge Drove, along Golden Jubilee Way and the Polegate by-pass to the A27 to Falmer.

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The amount of roadside litter on the grass verges and bushes was disgusting.

It was like driving through a linear tip.

The bushes in the central reservation opposite Tesco is like a shrine to plastic.

The grass verges of Golden Jubilee Way are an insult to our monarch and the rubbish along the A27, some of which passes through the South Downs National Park is a blight on our beautiful countryside.

Despite the litter mountain being plainly visible and an absolute disgrace, our local authorities who have a legal responsibility to keep these highways clean do little or nothing.

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Whilst clearly some sections of the route I describe are not possible to litter pick without lane closures there are plenty of areas that are safe to clean – areas behind crash barriers, wide verges, roundabouts, lay-bys and the footpaths and cycle lanes that abut the A27. Clearly Eastbourne Borough Council, Wealden District Council and Lewes Borough Council and Brighton & Hove Council take no pride in the appearance of our highways, though no doubt they will have fine sounding policies in their mission statements about how seriously they take environmental protection.

The litter makes car journeys for locals unpleasant, it is a turn off for tourists, it damages wildlife and no doubt contributes to plastic getting into our water courses.

It is time our local authorities got their finger out and proved they care.

Meanwhile car drivers should stop treating roads as dustbins and waste transfer and other lorries should make sure their loads are secure and they don’t discard sheets of plastic all over the place.