Rubbish abandoned on A27 - Adur and Worthing Council staff spent eight hours clearing road

A team of four spent eight hours filling 90 bags of rubbish from the one mile stretch of the A27 west of the Southwick tunnel on Monday, January 24.

The litter was cleared from the hard shoulder and central reservation, with approximately one tonne of detritus picked up from the pavement and gutters on a junction at Eighth Avenue, Lancing.

Rubbish found included discarded fast-food packaging as well as bike wheels and left over traffic cones and road signs, according to Adur & Worthing Councils.

"Material that is likely to have fallen from vehicles, including building material and tyre carcasses, was also cleared up," the council wrote on social media.

"The tunnel is closed to traffic once every two months for essential maintenance, meaning that council's staff have an ideal opportunity to carry out the clear-up work."

The council said there is 'always plenty of rubbish to keep staff busy' and more work is set to be carried out over the coming months along the A27, including at Sompting Bypass and the Sussex Pad Traffic Lights area.

Mark Quartly, waste cleansing and fleet manager for the council, said: “Due to a scheduled closure of the Southwick Tunnel for maintenance, we were able to work on the A27 between the tunnel and the Holmbush interchange.

“The team removed a wide range of general litter and industrial items, such as sheets of plastic and wrapping from the nearside grassed areas. Litter thrown from moving vehicles or loose waste that has fallen from insecure loads is an offence and the cost for cleanance falls to the local authority.

“We plan more such clearances in the coming months from other areas of the A27 within our boundaries, but these will need traffic management to protect staff when working.”

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