Lingerie and coffee cups made up part of the 11 tonnes of rubbish and litter that was picked up from the A41 last week.

During the clean-up operation, which took place on February 28, the team of 14 staff from Dacorum Borough Council’s Clean Safe and Green Team cleared litter from the slip roads, junctions and grass verges of the A41 from after the junction with the M25 at Kings Langley through to Tring.

The central reservation will be cleared later in the summer to coincide with Hertfordshire County Council cutting the grass.

Councillor Julie Laws, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability said: "Clearing this litter is an expensive operation. It costs around £1,500 a day just for us to close the high speed roads, so our team can safely pick up people's rubbish that shouldn’t have been dropped in the first place.

"Litter not only looks bad, it can be a hazard to vehicles and wildlife. I urge drivers and passengers to take their litter home with them and to help us keep our roads clean, safe and welcoming."

The borough council clears the A41 twice a year. Among the items picked up during this latest operation was the usual litter of coffee cups, drink cans and food packaging thrown out of vehicles along with more unusual items, including lingerie.