“Thoughtless” drivers who throw rubbish out of car windows come under fire

Giving an update on environmental services, Havant Borough Council’s cabinet lead for commercial Councillor Lulu Bowerman said workers at contractor Norse SE must have specialist training to be able to pick up the rubbish along A roads.

She said there is now a focus on A roads, with 48 bags of rubbish collected just from Hulbert Road in Waterlooville recently. “The team are required to undertake specialist training for this task due to the road speed being above 30mph as clearing waste on very busy, dangerous roads is challenging,” she said in a report to the cabinet meeting on March 20.

“Litter blackspots include slip roads and roundabouts where traffic slows, making it easier for thoughtless drivers and passengers to throw waste out of vehicle windows. Unfortunately, the costs of clearing these blackspots fall to the local authority.”

Other problems across the borough include cigarette butts being chucked on the ground, fly-tipping and general cleanliness of the streets. She said a new bin with an ashtray top has been placed outside a barbers shop in Waterlooville where there was an issue with cigarette butts being left on the floor. That led to complaints about the cleanliness of the town centre and the enforcement team becoming involved.

Cllr Bowerman (Con, Emsworth) said to help with fly-tipping and recycling, an additional clothing bank has been put at Hambledon Parade accompanied by a ‘no fly-tipping’ A board, both supplied by the Salvation Army to reduce the amount of rubbish dumped there. “The team has seen a vast reduction in the number of incidents since this change has been implemented,” she added.

Tidworth Road in Havant was highlighted as a hot spot location but council teams are said to be working together to investigate these occurrences and meet regularly to discuss areas of concern across Havant.