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'Layby litter is a poor advert for our city'

Amanda White,in Hessleand
Paul Johnson
BBC A wooded area where the muddy ground is covered in litter, including glass and plastic bottles, plastic bags, cans, tins and what appears to be a black plastic bin, which is partially buried and also covered with litter. Bare shrubs are in the background.BBC

The gateway to Hull is looking grim with laybys along the A63 full of rubbish, ranging from bottles and fast-food wrappers to human waste.

Tyres and domestic appliances have also been dumped by the side of the main road into the city, just a few miles from the Humber Bridge.

Liz Robinson, a member of the Hessle Litterati volunteers, described the situation as "absolutely appalling" and added: "For the main road into Hull to have litter like that, it's not a very good advert for our city at all."

A spokesperson for Hull City Council said it was aware of the problem and was working with National Highways to improve the situation.

A middle-aged woman with grey hair looks into the camera. She is wearing dark-framed, horn-rimmed glasses and a purple coat. She is standing in front of a row of shops under a blue sky.
Liz Robinson says more people should face fines for littering

But Robinson added: "I don't think they've done any clearing up along there for a long time."

She advocated on-the-spot fines for dealing with the problem.

Other residents in Hessle, which is just of the A63, called for overflowing bins to be emptied more often.

"I avoid laybys like the plague," said motorcyclist Steven Horncastle.

"People see it as a convenient place to do illegal dumping.

"[They] think, 'I'll sweep my van out' and things like that, and you get a nail through your tyre. On a car, it's an inconvenience. On a motorbike, it's deadly."

A woman with wavy black hair, held back with a wide black headband, smiles as she stands in a town square and looks into the camera. She is wearing a black coat and a red jumper. Behind her is a green hedge, a yellow double-decker bus and a white-painted building.
Linda Okoronkwo believes the city council is doing its best

Further away from the city, the situation appears to be better, with laybys in the East Riding of Yorkshire looking much cleaner.

But not everyone feels the problem nearer Hull is the city council's fault.

Student Linda Okoronkwo said: "The council is really trying its best to ensure that Hull is neat.

"I came in from Nigeria and, comparing Nigeria with here, they are making a great effort."

Resident Nikki Sims said it was "everyone's responsibility" to avoid littering.

A woman with purple-tinged brown hair and a nose ring smiles as she stands in front of a shop window and looks into the camera. She is wearing a maroon fleece and a grey gillet. The shop window includes a red poster with a heart motif advertising Valentine's Day.
Nikki Sims says people have no excuse for not using proper disposal sites

"People just don't care. They just throw it out of the car window," she said.

"If you have litter or rubbish or things you don't want any more, there are plenty of tips, plenty of places where you can dispose of your stuff without just dumping it outside."

The city council spokesperson said: "The council recognises the issues with some laybys. Our usual servicing and maintenance regimes have been disrupted by on-going works on the A63."

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