Thousands of bags of rubbish are set to be collected over the coming weeks on England’s motorways and major A roads in support of the Great British Spring Clean.   

Littering on England’s major roads is a problem all year round, a recent study conducted by National Highways revealed. 

More than a fifth (22%) of people admit to littering on motorways and A roads, an increase of 9% (up from 13%) compared with 2024, with more than half (55%) unaware that littering could lead to delays due to road workers needing to pick up litter. Meanwhile, 35% of those surveyed did not consider how littering could injure or even kill wildlife, with the RSPCA estimating that nearly 3 million animals are killed each year due to littering.   

For this year’s campaign, National Highways is planning community events, nighttime sweeps and staff volunteer events in a bid to tackle roadside rubbish and support the Keep Britain Tidy campaign.   

Last year almost 8,000 bags of litter were collected by National Highways as part of the nationwide campaign. 

Freda Rashdi, Head of Customer Journeys at National Highways said:   

“Clearing litter from our roads causes unnecessary journey delays and costs the taxpayer millions of pounds a year, as well as endangering wildlife living close to our roads.  

“Our message is really simple, littering of any kind is completely unacceptable. Putting your rubbish in the bin doesn’t just help us keep the roads moving and keep other drivers safe, it goes a long way to protecting wildlife and the environment.”  

In partnership with Leeds City Council, the organisation is kicking things off with a Community Action Day at Hunslet Moor Park, near the M621 in Leeds today (16 March 2026) to help the local community clean up litter in the area.  

The event will bring together local leaders from Leeds City Council as well as community groups such as the Friends of Hunslet Moor Park to collect rubbish that has been strewn across the park.  

(Picture: National Highways)