As part of the council’s ongoing It’s Your Place campaign, the annual rural roads programme will tackle the most littered rural roads in Rutherglen and Cambuslang, Clydesdale, Larkhall, Strathaven and Hamilton in the coming weeks.

The first area to be tackled will begin on Tuesday 9 June in the Hamilton area, covering the following areas.

• Blantyre Farm Road & Calder Road down to bridge
• Limekilnburn Road from Strathaven Road to Quarter Parish Church
• Newhousemill Road
• Muttonhole Road
• Carscallan Road
• Strathaven Road from Carscallan Road to Burn Road
• Sydes Brae

Time spent on each road will vary dependent on volumes of litter, length of the road, and weather conditions.

To ensure the safety of the workforce during the clean-up programme, each road will have to be reduced to one lane at the sections being worked on between 9am and 3.30pm daily from Tuesday to Friday each week.

However, as some could take longer than others, drivers are urged to be prepared for potential delays or to consider alternative routes.

Colin Reid, the council’s Grounds Manager, said: “Our teams work hard throughout the year trying to keep our environment clear from dumped litter and rubbish.

“It is so disappointing that every year we have to spend so much time and money clearing up rubbish that could and should have been disposed of responsibly.

“So, we urge everyone to always put their rubbish in litter bins, household bins or for larger quantities, taken to any of our recycling centres.

“I apologise for any inconvenience caused during this year’s clean-up campaign and thank everyone in advance for their patience while we again carry out this time-consuming and expensive task.” 

Penalties for those caught dropping litter range from £80, while the Illegal dumping of waste carries a fixed penalty notice of £500, as well as the potential for criminal charges and even a prison sentence for the worst offenders.