A volunteer revealed that Braintree District Council has not closed the A12 between junctions 19 and 23 this year to allow litter clearance, despite reports of cans, bottles, tyres, pumpkins and plastering at the roadside. The council says it has been clearing verges where safe and that closures for more extensive work are planned for early 2026. Campaigners call for a regular clean-up schedule and warn that disputes over responsibility between authorities hamper action. Throwing litter from a vehicle is an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Volunteer Condemns Braintree Council for Not Closing A12 to Clear Litter
A volunteer revealed that Braintree District Council has not closed the A12 between junctions 19 and 23 this year to allow litter clearance, despite reports of cans, bottles, tyres, pumpkins and plastering at the roadside. The council says it has been clearing verges where safe and that closures for more extensive work are planned for early 2026. Campaigners call for a regular clean-up schedule and warn that disputes over responsibility between authorities hamper action. Throwing litter from a vehicle is an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
09:08 AM, 11/15/2025Environment
Volunteer criticises council for not closing A12 to remove litter
A volunteer litter picker has criticised Braintree District Council for not arranging a road closure on a stretch of the A12 to allow rubbish to be cleared safely.
Mary Jarvis, 50, from Chelmsford and a member of the community group Chelmsford Litter Wombles, used a Freedom of Information request to establish that the council has not closed the A12 between junctions 19 and 23 so far this year to carry out litter removal. On Monday, motorists and volunteers reported seeing discarded cans, bottles, pumpkins, tyres and plastering material at the roadside beside that section of the dual carriageway.
Braintree District Council said it has been clearing litter from verges where it is safe to do so without closing the road, and that larger sections requiring road closures are in the planning stage. The council added that a major, scheduled clean-up is expected in "early 2026".
Ms Jarvis said she was "shocked" the council had not implemented closures to permit more thorough clearance and urged Braintree to set a regular schedule similar to neighbouring authorities. Chelmsford City Council told reporters: "Our target is to clear all areas of the A12 which are our responsibility every six to eight weeks." Last year volunteers and contractors collected more than half a tonne of litter from a 1.5-mile stretch of the A12 between Stanway and Marks Tey.
Ed Lennox, operations director at the campaign group Clean Up Britain, said there must be zero tolerance towards littering: "These people [who litter] are disgusting and I make no apologies for saying that." He also warned that disputes over which authority is responsible for strips of land can delay action.
Throwing litter from a vehicle is a criminal offence in the UK under Section 88A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
On responsibility, Essex County Council told reporters that responsibility for the A12 lies with National Highways. A National Highways spokesperson responded: "National Highways is not responsible for litter picking on the A12; this is the responsibility of the local authority." Braintree District Council reiterated: "We are already litter-picking safe areas of the A12, including lay-bys, on a regular basis. Sections requiring closures to adhere with safety requirements for working on high-speed roads are currently in planning to ensure the necessary requirements for traffic management lead times — these works are expected in early 2026."
The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government were approached for comment.
Organisations mentioned: Braintree District Council; Chelmsford City Council; Essex County Council; National Highways; Clean Up Britain; Chelmsford Litter Wombles.