‘Horrendous’ lay-bys filled with human waste cleared thanks to work of relentless volunteers – ‘Without us, I dread to think of the state of them’
Lay-bys are the “grimmest places on earth”, a litter-picker has declared whilst calling on councils across the country to enforce stricter punishments on offenders.
Bags and bottles of human waste, as well as syringes and needles, are just some of the “horrendous” items found alongside the road by volunteers of litter pickers.
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And whilst many volunteers “enjoy” doing their bit to keep their environment clean, they are calling on local councils to apply tougher measures to try and stamp out the problem at its head.
Scott Gibbins, self-described “very keen litter picker” and part of Leicestershire Litter Wombles, said that people need to start taking more “pride” in where they live.
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He told GB News: “Lay-bys are some of the grimmest places on earth”.
“We did a group clean-up in one a couple of years ago and in 2.5 hours we filled up 300 bin bags.”
“We found hundreds of bottles of urine and bags of human waste found in lay-bys.” He added, “It’s horrendous”.
He said that local authorities and the highways both state that they will clean the laybys, though claims that when they say this “they actually are only talking about the area between the road and the pavement”.
Gibbins said he dreads to think of the state of the bushes and trees surrounding the roads if the volunteers weren’t there to help.
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“If you start going down where the rubbish actually is, they won’t touch it.” he said.
“If volunteers weren’t doing it, I dread to think of the state of these places now.”
A heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver told GB News that the conditions of the lay-bys and roads near junctions/roundabouts are “disgusting”.
“Litter is just chucked out of the vehicle’s windows and there is rubbish everywhere.”
He added: “But, if rules aren’t enforced then it won’t make any difference. It’s a mentality of ‘let someone else tidy it up’. People have no pride in this country.”
Gibbins said the A426 & A5 Lutterworth in the South of Leicestershire and the A46 in the North of Leicestershire are the areas they find trashed with the most litter.
He estimates that since 2020, the Leicestershire Litter Wombles have filled over 3,000 bags. The group has also reported around 1,000 incidents of fly-tipping, Gibbins guessed.
Gibbins called on the council to enforce the rules more harshly.
“Once we’ve cleared the lay-by, we’re asking the council: “What will they do now?
“Can you put cameras in? Can you catch people that are dropping litter?”. Gibbins is not so sure this will be achieved.
Speaking directly to those who chuck litter into the lay-bys, Gibbins said: “Everyone who stops in a lay-by is in a vehicle of some kind, so no excuse for chucking any litter whatsoever in the road when you can keep in your car until you can properly dispose of it.
“So please do use laybys for a rest,a stroll, a bite & a drink, but please take your rubbish home or onto your next destination where bins are emptied more frequently.”
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