MAJOR roads in North Herts will be given a £100,000 clean.

Work started at the weekend on the Hitchin A505 and the A602 Wymondley and Baldock bypasses, with sections cordoned off while a teams picked litter and cleaned gullies.

A tractor and flail will also be cutting back overhanging branches so roads can be litter picked at a lower cost in the future, without the need for partial closures.

But North Herts District Council, which conducts the clean-up, has appealed to people to stop littering in the first place.

Cllr Peter Burt, portfolio holder for waste and recycling, said: “Most of this cleaning would not be necessary if some people were more thoughtful about what they do with their litter.

“The minority who think nothing of throwing rubbish out of their cars are spoiling our beautiful countryside, and we could make much better use of council taxpayer’s money than clearing up after people.”

The clean-up follows a flurry of letters featured recently in the Comet, criticising the build-up of litter at the sides of the roads.