A toilet, cooker and part of a boat are some of the bizarre items that have been dumped on the A30 in Cornwall.

Cornwall Council is urging motorists to bin or take their rubbish home, as their waste collection service Biffa collects 10 tonnes of litter from roadsides and verges along the high speed route each year.

Most common among the discarded items are fast food packaging, takeaway cups and plastic drinks bottles, but there have also been dozens of mobile phones and large items such as electrical appliances and furniture.

Cabinet portfolio holder for environment and public protection Sue James said: “While the majority of people act responsibly and help keep our roadsides clear of litter, it is hard to understand the mentality of people throwing rubbish from their cars while travelling through such beautiful countryside.

“Not only is it an eyesore and damaging to wildlife it means our waste collection team are having to collect litter alongside a road where drivers are travelling at speeds of 70 miles an hour. It also costs money that could be spent elsewhere.

“Please just take your rubbish home and keep our countryside looking beautiful.”

Motorists or their passengers can be fined £150 for throwing rubbish from car windows or dumping it in a layby.

Every year Highways England and local councils spend hundreds of millions of pounds clearing litter from roadsides and verges, which amounts to two double decker buses full of rubbish.

Not only is roadside litter an eyesore, picking it up - especially on high speed roads such as the A30, A38 and A39 - means that the workforce are exposed to unnecessary and avoidable danger. It can also be a danger to other road users and to wildlife.

Dropping litter is a criminal offence under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and authorised officers can currently issue fixed penalty notices of £150 for littering offences.

Failure to pay may result in a prosecution before a Magistrates Court where the maximum fine is currently £2,500. Recent changes to the law mean that litter penalties can be applied to vehicle owners if it can be proved the rubbish was thrown from their car, van or lorry, even if was discarded by a passenger.

Wherever possible the Council investigates reported offences with a view to

taking action against offenders to reduce the level of environmental crime.

Councillor James added: “Our first message is don’t litter, but we also rely on members of the public spotting litter being discarded and contacting us with information so we can catch those responsible.”