Litter louts blamed for cluttering roadside verges with rubbish

Swansea Council say their highways teams are taking action to clear litter this weekend on the A484 between Garngoch and Cadle, with more to come in future weeks.

Cyril Anderson, the council’s Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: “If people didn’t litter our roads and dual carriageways by throwing it out of car windows or fly-tipping on verges, there would be no need to clear the waste.

“But we have to take action, not just because it’s unsightly but also because some of it’s a potential risk to wildlife which inhabit many of our roadside verges.

“Clearing litter from these areas is a labour-intensive job because we have to make arrangements to close roads or cone-off lanes on dual carriageways so our staff are protected while they carry out the work.” 

It means that on Sunday the A484 between Garngoch and Cadle will be closed during the day so that the mile-long section of road can be cleaned along with minor road repairs and gully clearance. Diversions will be in place.

Cllr Andrew Stevens, Cabinet Member for Environment and Infrastructure, said: “We apologise in advance for any inconvenience, but the blame really lies with the people who think there’s no consequences for thoughtlessly dumping their litter.”

Work has already been done to clear litter from the A484 between Loughor and Garngoch. After this weekend’s work, the next step will be to clear waste on the A483 section from Cadle to Penllergaer.

Following on from that, there will be work on the A4067 Ynysforgan to Cwm Level with further activity in the weeks after. 

Cllr Stevens said: “Ultimately, the time and expense our highways teams are taking to do this work is necessary because some people think it is OK to litter their roads and communities. People should simply stop doing it.

“If you see someone littering or fly-tipping in our communities, please report it to us.”

(Lead image: Google Maps)