Blog > Verging on disgusting
Author: Brian Weatherley
Are you, like me, disgusted by the state of Britain verges? (Not to be confused with the state of Britain’s vergers, or indeed virgins…I’ll leave that kind of thing to the News of the World). No, I’m talking about those strips of grass along Britain’s major highways and byways and motorways that are strewn with depressingly large amounts of litter and all manner of travelling detritus. And it’s not just major thoroughfares---you’ll find plenty of rubbish on the side of country lanes and rural roads too.
Indeed, I have come to the conclusion that there are now three sides to the average car: The ‘offside’; the ‘nearside’; and the ‘rubbish side’. What is it with drivers that they can’t bear to have rubbish in their cars…but equally can’t be arsed to wait until they reach the nearest bin? Roll down the window and out it goes. I blame, in no particular order, smokers (ever seen one of them calmly emptying their ashtray out the side of their car onto the floor of a car park…when there’s a bin 20 yards away?). Then there’s fast-food eaters (and drinkers) and even truck drivers. What? Brian Weatherley being nasty to truckers…surely some mistake? Well travel along the M20 regularly (as I do) and you’ll notice the odd one or two one litre plastic bottles filled with a strange amber liquid. Eeeeeyewww…..as our American cousins say…..This obsession with eating and drinking on the run (and in particular in the car) has created a sea of filth on the nation’s verges. Travel up any major trunk route or motorway and you can’t fail to see the flotsam and jetsam from passing motorists and frankly I don’t see why a) people should do it and b) why road workers should risk their lives having to pick it up.
There’s also a green angle to all this. As the world’s food, drink and snack manufacturers increasingly turn to using non-biodegradable packaging materials, their plastic and foil-wrapped legacy will linger on for many years at the side of our roads. But above all else I find it embarrassing to think that the first sight of our country that many tourists see is a major road decorated with disfiguring litter. Welcome to Britain. So why don’t you do me and everyone else a favour by keeping all your litter in the car until you can dispose of it properly? Like in a rubbish bin---and preferably your own.
28th Jul 10
Leave a Comment
Your comments will be moderated before being displayed above. Please note that we will not display your email address, but we might use it to email you back. Links may be included in your comments but HTML is not permitted. Fields marked * are required.