They're a haven for wildlife, but do you love your verges?

These signs are aimed at stopping people in Dorset from littering

Author: Maria GreenwoodPublished 24th Mar 2021

Signage featuring fun and friendly wildlife characters will soon be seen on Dorset's verges.

The signage will feature a range of characters including bumble bee, mouse, grass snake, hedgehog and grasshopper. The messages on the signs will explain how we are managing that particular verge and thank people for taking their rubbish home.

The Dorset Council's #LoveYourVerge campaign is a countywide collaboration between the council's Coast and Greenspace Service and Litter Free Dorset.

The campaign aims to encourage residents and visitors of Dorset to value verges and open spaces and raise awareness of how open spaces are individually managed due to the specific local habitat, and their contribution towards tackling the Climate and Ecological Emergency

Cllr Ray Bryan, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder Highways, Travel and Environment, said:

"Verges are important areas for our wildlife, and we want to continue and expand the work we've been doing to create ideal habitats for a wide variety of creatures.

"We want residents and visitors to love our verges, appreciate how important they are, understand what we are doing and take their rubbish home, so that we can keep our roads in Dorset free from litter. Keeping animal residents safe for the enjoyment of our children and future generations.

"We will, however, ensure sightlines on junctions are kept clear for safety reasons."

For more information about the Love your verge campaign visit

http://www.litterfreedorset.co.uk/love-your-verge-2020

This campaign forms part of the work to mitigate the declared Climate and Ecological Emergency to protect and enhance Dorset's natural environment and wildlife biodiversity.

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