Between 1 January and 30 September 2025, material left on the road made up 15.1% of National Highways obstruction incidents
This means that across the country, National Highways had to remove 9,685 different pieces of construction debris.
This was followed by vehicle parts/accessories at 8,565, and 4,606 tyres.
This often means lanes need to be closed
Lanes or even entire carriageways need to be closed for large items to be removed, impacting drivers and safety.
Most of these incidents were logged on the M6 (5,605 incidents, or 11% of whole number) and the M1 (5,185 incidents, or 10.5% of the whole number).
Marie Biddulph, Regional Safety Programme Manager at National Highways, said:
“These items left on or alongside our roads can put drivers at risk, while retrieving them often leads to a road or lanes being closed, causing an inconvenience to other motorists.
“Our message is simple – dispose of your unwanted items in the correct way and secure your loads properly before you set out on your journey. Following these measures could prevent a collision and avoids unwelcome objects from blighting the environment along our roadsides.”
A coalition called for an extended highways budget
In February, the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) joined forces with the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE), the Mineral Products Association (MPA), and the Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE) to call for an extended highways budget, extending to five years.
They did this through a letter to the government sent during the spending review. The letter highlighted how an extended budget could drive efficiency, innovation, and long-term certainty for the construction industry.
At the time, CECA director of operations, Marie-Claude Hemming, said: “The roads network is the backbone of the economy and is a vital catalyst for growth.
“Moving to a five-year funding cycle will provide local authorities with the visibility needed to plan ahead effectively and allow companies working in the sector to unlock efficiencies, foster innovation, and deliver to better outcomes for millions of road users.
“Should the Government work with industry to implement five-year funding cycles, we believe it will see increased returns on this investment in terms of growth, job creation, and the economic multipliers a world-class, future-ready roads network will deliver.”
ACE chief executive, Kate Jennings, said: “A five-year funding cycle will enable long-term, strategic decisions about road maintenance and improvement. Much needed funding visibility will enable business to plan ahead – unlocking investment, job creation, drive skills development, innovation and maximise efficiencies. Ultimately contributing to economic growth through more resilient, future-proof infrastructure.”
