A fridge and a lorry wheel were amongst the items collected along the A1 by teams from East Lothian Council, BEAR Scotland, Scottish Borders Council and City of Edinburgh Council in the last week of June.

A noticeable increase in litter on the A1 trunk road between the English border and Edinburgh prompted roads authorities to come together and undertake a dedicated focus on litter-picking activities.

A total of 538 bags of litter were collected in the final week of the month as well as over 30 large items including car parts, a lorry wheel and a fridge.

The nature of the A1, which has some dual carriageway sections and some single carriageway sections, means that responsibility for litter picking differs throughout the route between the relevant local authority and BEAR Scotland which manages trunk roads on behalf of Transport Scotland.

Councillor John McMillan, East Lothian cabinet spokesperson for environment, economic development and tourism, said: “The A1 is a main arterial route through East Lothian and it reflects poorly on our beautiful county when it is covered in discarded waste.

"The clear up gathered an astonishing amount of debris that simply has no place being there. It required significant coordination to undertake safely and diverts our staff away from other important work within our communities. I would encourage people to take their litter home or use bins when they stop during their journey to keep the A1 verges and embankments clear and green.”

Tommy Deans, BEAR Scotland network manager said: “It is hugely disappointing and frustrating that litter continues to blight our beautiful countryside. The A1 is a key gateway to Scotland and the amount of litter gives a terrible impression of the country to visitors and locals alike. We urge all road users to take responsibility for their waste by taking it home and binning it.”