Council highlights the high cost of throwing rubbish from cars as A48 clean-up gets underway

Bridgend County Borough Council is warning motorists to expect potential delays when using the A48 this week as traffic will be down to a single lane along some sections of the route to enable workers to safely remove litter and rubbish from the highway verge.

The clean-up exercise, which will begin on Wednesday 28 March and is expected to take up to five days to complete, will cost approximately £6,500 and is being funded directly from council budgets.

Anyone who drops litter or who flytips waste is hitting themselves in the pocket as the cost of cleaning up the mess falls to council taxpayers. In the case of the A48, litter and refuse, most of which has been thrown from passing vehicles, has accumulated in shrubbery, trees and bushes, and has built up along the highway verge.

In order to remove it, we have to introduce special traffic management measures such as using impact protection vehicles, and close down sections of the route to provide a safe working environment for staff.

All of this costs more than a thousand pounds a day to provide, and because it can only be carried out between certain hours, we also have to factor in issues such as overtime costs as well as the inconvenience that removing the litter could cause for other drivers. This is, of course, money that could be far better spent on providing vital services, especially at a time when council budgets are being squeezed for every penny and the cost of living crisis is hitting us hard. Our message is simple: take responsibility for your own rubbish and recycling, use one of the many public litter bins that are located across the county borough, or dispose of it at home using the kerbside service – don’t let taxpayers pick up the bill for dealing with your mess.

Councillor Rhys Goode, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing,