ROAD users are being urged to help to reduce the amount of litter on motorways and major A-roads in a Highways Agency campaign.

During February, the agency will use electronic roadside messages in regions across the country saying “Bin your litter. Other people do.”, which asks motorists to carry a bag in their car to collect and safely dispose of any rubbish.

Since April 2011, the “Bag it. Bin it!” campaign has seen the amount of litter on roads reduce by an estimated 25 per cent, but road workers still collect more than 180,000 sacks of rubbish every year.

The agency says that litter can cause accidents, block drains and present a danger to wildlife, and clearing litter from the sides of carriageways can put workers at risk.

Roads Minister Stephen Hammond said: “No one likes to see litter on our roads.

“If people didn’t drop it, it would not have to be picked up. Which is why I’m reminding people to bag it and bin it!

“Carry a bag in your car, use it to collect your rubbish, and dispose of it responsibly.”

The Highways Agency estimates that it costs £10million in taxpayers’ money each year to retrieve litter from roadsides. It also works alongside Defra and Keep Britain Tidy to campaign for clean roads.

Helen Bingham, from Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Our roadsides should not be treated like one giant litter bin. We all have a role to play in keeping our highways clean and showing that we love where we live.”