Drivers are being urged not to throw litter following a number of fires during the heatwave
Motorists in the UK can now be issued with a £150 on-the-spot fine if caught throwing litter out of their vehicle and it’s not just the driver who can be punished now too.
Before the changes were made earlier this year, fines were capped at £80 but increased in an effort to reduce the amount of rubbish lying on the side of roads up and down the country.
It’s estimated that councils are forking out £680 million a year on litter picking, with Highways England claiming they collect around 20,000 sacks of litter just from Britain’s motorways.
What many motorists might not be aware of is how risky it is during hot weather to throw litter out of our vehicles (even though no one should be doing it in the first place)!
Drivers are being urged not to throw litter following a number of fires during the heatwave. © Copyright Philip Halling and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
The hot weather is drying out the ground and is noticeable when you look at the state of the grass in many areas – turning from a lovely green into more of a straw-like colour. Throwing certain items out of your car window such as cigarette butts, glass bottles or plastic could spark a fire because of these dry conditions.
In total, 56 fires have been recorded over the past ten days on grass verges throughout England next to motorways and major ‘A’ roads looked after by Highways England.
“Smoke from roadside fires can drift across motorways posing a hazard to drivers,” said Frank Bird, Highways England emergency planning officer, adding: “With the land being so dry, it often only takes a small spark to take hold.”
Drivers are being urged to take their litter home, especially during the spell of very hot weather.
“With the hot, dry weather, any glass object has the potential to refract the sun’s light and it’s so easy for a fire to start from a discarded cigarette,” said Marc Hudson, West Midlands Fire Service Station Commander, adding: “Littering at the side of the road significantly increases the risk of fire and has the potential to tie up valuable resources that could be used elsewhere which in turn could put people’s lives at risk.”
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