Traffic Officers Recover Everything from Abandoned Fairground Ride to Sofa from UK Roads

Traffic officers in Yorkshire and the North East have removed a range of unusual and hazardous items from National Highways’ roads this year, including an abandoned fairground ride.

Between 1 January and 30 September, National Highways teams collected more than 49,000 objects from motorways and major A roads across England. Drivers are being reminded to secure their loads and avoid using the roadside as a dumping ground.

The M1 was the second most affected road nationally, after the M6, with over 5,000 reports of obstructions. Most recovered items were building or construction materials (9,685), followed by vehicle parts, accessories, and tyres.

Among the more unusual finds, a fairground ride was retrieved from the verge on the M180 near Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, in November. Further south, an abandoned boat was discovered far from open water on the A42 near Measham, Leicestershire, in July.

Andrew Richards, the traffic officer who removed the ride, said:“Earlier in the year, my wife and I had been to Disney World, and I thought I was either having flashbacks of meeting Mickey or he’d followed me when I spotted his grin and ears peeping out behind the trees! You don’t expect to find Mickey Mouse down a banking off the M180!”

Nicola Clayton, Regional Safety Programme Manager at National Highways, added:“Traffic officers often have to close lanes or carriageways to remove large items and experience first-hand the impact obstructions can have on drivers and their safety.”

Other objects removed this year include 3,575 household or garden items, 3,087 animal fatalities, 797 abandoned vehicles, as well as sofas, storage containers, Christmas trees, and bicycles.