As part of the council’s ongoing It’s Your Place campaign, the final stage of the annual rural roads programme will be tackling the following areas from Tuesday 28 July after completing the programme in Clydesdale:

• Blackwood Road B7086
• Strathaven road A71 (at Chapel) to Stonehouse roundabout
• Ayr Road A71 Cornsilloch Brae to Ashgill
• Broomelton Road to Millheugh Road
• Millheugh Road to Linthaugh Bridge
• Hamilton Road, Strathaven to Burn Road
• Lanark Road A72 to the bottom of Cornsilloch Brae
• Stonehouse Bypass to Canderside Roundabout

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.