text: CPRE president Sir Andrew Motion, who is demanding a national clean-up . Council chiefs were condemned last night after claiming it was too dangerous to collect the roadside litter blighting Britain. Winchester Council in Hampshire said its annual clean-up of roads around the city had been hit by new Health and Safety Executive rules designed to protect litter-pickers from traffic. But the HSE denied tightening rules – and said councils were ‘over-interpreting’ legislation. Last night, former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion, now president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, accused town hall bosses and the Highways Agency of ruining the countryside by failing to remove rubbish. He said: ‘Every day, people tell us that they are disgusted, angry and ashamed of the state of England’s roads. ‘Nobody wants to drive through our beautiful countryside or approach a vibrant city, heralded only by discarded rubbish.’ Although laws to fine people who throw litter from vehicles were now in place, their implementation had been delayed by ‘shameful time-wasting’, Sir Andrew said. ‘Without funding to tackle the problem, I fear our roads will become corridors of waste,’ he added. Highways England – the Government-owned company launched last week to replace the Highways Agency – is required to keep the motorway network clean, but responsibility for clearing A-roads and trunk routes is divided between the agency and councils. Scroll down for video . Peter Silverman, of pressure group Clean Highways, said: ‘Of course safety is paramount but councils are always looking for excuses and this is just the latest. They are shutting their eyes to the problem of litter.’ Roadside litter has become a problem almost everywhere in the UK. Disgrace: Winchester Council chiefs claimed it was too dangerous to collect roadside litter. Pictured: rubbish beside Crookilley Way, Stockport . Andrew Gwynne, who is standing for re-election as Labour MP in Denton and Reddish in Greater Manchester, said: ‘The Highways Agency is atrocious when it comes to removing rubbish. The worst case I’ve come across is Crookilley Way in Stockport, which is littered with plastic bags and bottles.’ A Highways England spokesman said: ‘Although we spend at least £6 million a year collecting more than 150,000 sacks of litter from England’s motorways, we still find the level of litter unacceptable. We will continue to investigate what more can be done.’ Winchester Council insisted that the HSE had ‘clarified’ last June that litter-picking was covered by the same code of practice that governs employees involved in highway maintenance – requiring a wider separation than was previously the case between workers and passing traffic.
target: Winchester Council in Hampshire claimed annual clean-up hit by new rules .
  But the Health and Safety Executive denied tightening rules and added that councils were ‘over-interpreting’ legislation .
  Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion accused town hall bosses and Highways Agency of ruining the countryside by failing to remove rubbish .