A huge clean-up operation to remove rubbish from the side of the A1 in Gateshead is under way.
Grass verges along the A1 all the way from Washington Services to Blaydon are being cleared by Gateshead Council workers this month in a clean-up operation which will last two weeks.
In previous years, the operation has resulted in an astonishing 1,500 bags and 15 tonnes of rubbish being collected.
This year's operation started on Tuesday and is expected to take 10 staff up to two weeks to complete.
The verges along the A184 which runs from the A1 towards the Redheugh Bridge will also be included in the clean-up.
Due of the dangers of working alongside a busy trunk road, mobile signage will be used to alert motorists to the presence of workers close to the carriageway.
The work will also be carried out outside of the normal rush hours.
Philip Hindmarsh, Gateshead Council's service director for environment and fleet management, said: "Our region attracts huge numbers of visitors every year - and it's not a great advert for Tyneside for visitors driving along the A1 to see roadsides covered in litter.
"We carry out this major clean-up every year to get the verges and roadside back to what we'd like to think of as A1 condition, but it's a time-consuming and costly exercise and, like all forms of littering, it's completely avoidable.
"We urge motorists to respect the landscape and keep your litter in your car until you can find a litter bin."
In previous years, the worst areas for roadside littering have been sections of the A1 bordering the Team Valley Trading Estate, and around Dunston and the MetroCentre where traffic is often moving slowly.
The council said that aside from the visual impact, discarded waste can have an impact on wildlife.
Verges are often important wildlife corridors and the discarded rubbish can lead to serious injury or even death of small animals.
