Litter picking on A38
Case reference EIR2026/00212
Received 19 February 2026
Published 6 March 2026
Request
Please provide the dates when you last cleaned the litter on the A38 which falls under your area of control? National Highways devolve litter picking to you and this is your responsibility.
Response
South Derbyshire District Council does not hold records of routine litter-picking dates for the A38. this road forms part of the Strategic Road Network and is operated and controlled by National Highways.
While the Council is the Principal Litter Authority for most highways within the district, litter clearance on high-speed strategic trunk roads such as the A38 cannot be undertaken safely without specialist traffic management, lane or road closures, and formal permits. Control of access, traffic management and safety arrangements for the Strategic Road Network sits with National Highways.
For safety reasons, it would not be appropriate or responsible for the Council to undertake litter picking on the A38 while the road is open to live traffic. As a result, the Council has not historically carried out routine litter cleansing on this stretch of road without coordination and approval from National Highways, and therefore does not hold dates for such activity.
Current position
The Council is now working closely with National Highways to agree a coordinated approach that allows litter clearance to take place safely and effectively. This includes aligning any future cleansing activity with planned road closures, completing the necessary risk assessments and highways passport requirements, and engaging with neighbouring authorities to ensure a consistent approach across administrative boundaries.
This work will inform a new Strategic Trunk Road Litter Picking and Fly-Tipping approach, which will set out future arrangements and anticipated frequencies of cleansing once access and safety requirements are confirmed.
When traffic management arrangements and timescales are agreed, details of planned works will be published and communicated.
Documents
This is South Derbyshire District Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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