Funding for projects to reduce littering on major highways in Suffolk has been awarded to St Edmundsbury Borough Council.

The authority has been given £10,000 for the Suffolk Waste Partnership – which consists of the county, district and borough councils – to invest in programmes, particularly targeting male drivers between the age of 18-24.

The projects will comprise an awareness campaign with additional bins, remote monitoring and improved signage.

The award is part of the larger £450,000 Litter Innovation Fund, funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG).

The aim of the fund is to reduce litter by funding innovative approaches to pilot, implement and evaluate small scale local research projects that could be replicated more widely.

West Suffolk MP Matt Hancock said: “This award is just what is needed to start the campaign to reduce litter alongside our major roads in west Suffolk. “Litter, unfortunately, has become a real problem in some areas and we need targeted programmes to raise awareness of the problem and also to change behaviour.

“The sight of litter by the side of the road is upsetting, especially considering that we are surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside.

“It is fantastic that we have volunteer groups to pick up litter, but the goal is to make these volunteers redundant by not having any litter to collect.”