Weeds blitz on Borough's busiest roadsides

The crews have already started on Portrack Lane ahead of similar work on the Tees Bridge Approach Road to Newport Bridge and the 1825 Way.

Other locations will follow including Durham Road, Durham Road Bypass, and key routes in Billingham.

The A66 has also been earmarked for clearance works, which will be carried out during road or lane closures as dictated by Highways England safety rules.

Councillor Mike Smith, the Council's Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: "Our roadside cleansing work was hit by the restrictions in place during the pandemic and caused us to lose a bit of ground that we're now looking to make up.

"It's very important to us, and for the Borough's economic recovery, that the Borough looks its best and we've recently committed additional funds so we can get back on track quickly with clearing weeds, vegetation and litter.

"Our teams will be out clearing these key locations in the coming weeks and months, as well as responding to reports from residents about any problem areas."

He added: "Of course, the part of this work we wish we didn't have to keep on top of is the litter picking element. Sadly, we still have a minority of people continuing to throw litter out of their vehicles and leaving the authorities to clear up after them.

"It's a crying shame that we continue to see this behaviour, and it puts our workers at risk when they have to pick it up. Surely it's not too much to ask people to keep hold of their litter until they get home or reach somewhere where there's a bin to put it in."