Overnight clean-up operation tackles major highway

One of the District's busiest roads got a spruce up thanks to a special overnight weekend operation by the Council’s district cleansing team 

Almost seven tonnes of debris were cleared from Soar Valley Way during the exercise which took place overnight Saturday to Sunday to minimise disruption to road users. 

Despite the work taking place at night, the route remained busy and close co-operation with traffic management team from Leicestershire County Council was essential to ensure staff safety. 

The clean-up was prompted by the increasing amount about the amount of dirt, weeds and litter along the central reservations and edges of the turn-off roads leading into Fosse Park. 

Much of the material had compacted and needed to be dug out from the road by the team. By the end of the session some 6.8 tonnes of debris had been removed. 

Councillor Nigel Grundy, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services and Assets, said: "On busy roads like Soar Valley Way lots of dust, dirt and debris inevitably build up where vehicles don't drive such as the edges of the central reservation, islands, slip roads and junctions. Over time this dirt can compact and promote weed growth, which looks unsightly and, if left unchecked, can become a visual hazard. That's why it's important to tackle such routes but obviously doing so is a major challenge because they are so busy and are fast carriageways. 

"It takes a lot of time and effort to coordinate an operation like this, but the exercise proved an amazing example of teamwork between our cleansing staff and the county's traffic management team. Even though the operation was into the small hours of a Sunday morning there were still a lot of vehicles using the route, so it was a demanding environment for everyone. 

"The team showed tremendous commitment to get the job done under these difficult conditions, working until 4am. Their efforts have made a huge difference and the central reservation and slip roads look so much better." 

Councillor Nigel Grundy
Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services and Assets