DORSET Council has responded to a commuter's concerns who bemoaned the amount of litter, rubbish and dead animals alongside a busy route in Weymouth.

Portland resident John Brayne wrote to the Dorset Echo to share his thoughts about regularly seeing the ‘distressing’ sights along roads on his daily travels to Dorchester and back.

In a published letter, he recalled seeing ‘lots of smashed up insulation board along with cardboard, plastic bags and general litter’ beside the Ridgeway section of the A354 Weymouth Relief Road.

He added: “We all had the pleasure of seeing the remains of a dead fox all over the road, no doubt attracted to the odour of the very large dead deer on the grass verge.”

Mr Brayne described the sights as ‘distressing’ to him and pondered whether children ‘get upset by seeing the dead wildlife’. He added that there are similar litter issues along the A35.

Dorset Echo: A354 Weymouth Relief Road. Picture: GoogleA354 Weymouth Relief Road. Picture: Google

Other motorists agreed, calling it 'very upsetting' and spoke of how litter 'blights and ruins our lovely area.'

In response to Mr Brayne’s claims, Dorset Council say they are keen to keep the route clear of litter and dead wildlife and carry out litter picking along the A354 twice a year.

A planned visit in September was however unable to go ahead due to ‘staff shortages’, with the next planned litter pick in March 2022.

Dorset Council however said if there are any concerns about discarded litter or deceased wildlife along a road, report to them.

Mike Moon, Head of Waste and Fleet Operations at Dorset Council, said: “We aim to litter pick the A354 twice a year, usually in spring and autumn.

Dorset Echo: A dead deer recently beside the A354 Weymouth Relief Road. Picture: Michael TaylorA dead deer recently beside the A354 Weymouth Relief Road. Picture: Michael Taylor

“We planned to pick in September, however due to staff shortages in both our service and at the contractors providing the necessary traffic management, this could not go ahead. Our plan is to litter pick this particular road again in March/April 2022.

“We would kindly remind everyone that the best way of keeping our verges tidy is to never throw litter from a moving vehicle - take it home with you.

“If excessive litter or dead animals are spotted by the roadside, we ask everyone to please report the problems directly to us via our website.

“Also, if you see any items coming off a moving vehicle due to an unsecured load, safely make a note of the registration number, location, date and time, and report the incident to the police. Thank you.”