Council colleagues carry out A1 litter collection

Colleagues from amenity services conducted a litter collection along the A1 between Dunbar and Thistly Cross.

Seven workers, supported by trunk roads contractor BEAR Scotland, removed 120 bags of refuse from the roadside which included car tyres, food wrappings, and numerous empty bottles of alcohol.

Transport Scotland has responsibility for litter removal on the majority of the A1 in the county, which is carried out by BEAR under a special order contract.

The road sections between the Edinburgh boundary and Old Craighall and between Thistly Cross and the Scottish Borders boundary are not included. Whilst maintenance including grass cutting and road defects is part of the BEAR contract, litter management defaults to the council under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The litter collection was completed on Thursday, 24 April. On the following Tuesday, a meeting of full Council agreed a letter would be written to Scottish Ministers asking for the present arrangements to be assessed.

Councillor John McMillan, East Lothian Cabinet Spokesperson for Environment, Economic Development and Tourism, said: “The council clears over 3500 tonnes of litter and debris from roads and streets every year. Our team completed this latest litter collection along the A1 with their usual diligence under difficult conditions.

“The A1 is a main arterial route through the county and presents a unique challenge for staff to safely gather discarded waste. It also meant diverting finite resources to the roadside instead of tackling litter in our population centres.

“That is why the council has asked Scottish Ministers to review litter management on the A1 to see if the public would be better served by the appointed trunk road specialist contractor assuming responsibility for the sections not currently part of their contract.

“Such a change would allow us to provide the best service possible to residents while ensuring the A1 is kept as clean as possible.”

Due to the risk to staff from high-speed traffic, the council has a safe operating procedure (SOP) in place for litter clearances on the A1 which includes the need for lane closures. BEAR Scotland, which undertakes litter management between old Craighall and Thistly Cross, can plan litter picks in conjunction with other works so lane closures are minimised.