Boats and fairground rides found abandoned on UK roads as West Midlands motorways rank among 'highest for obstructions'

Some of the more unusual finds included an abandoned boat on the A42 near Measham, Leicestershire, and a fairground ride spotted on the M180 near Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire.

Large obstructions often force officers to close lanes or entire carriageways, causing delays and posing serious safety risks to drivers.

In the West Midlands, vehicle parts were the most common items collected, with 1,037 retrieved so far this year, followed by 830 pieces of building materials and 1,386 items classified as ‘unknown’ or ‘other’. Nationally, building and construction materials topped the list, with 9,685 items removed, followed by vehicle parts, tyres, and other debris.

Other objects removed by traffic officers include household or garden items (3,575), animal fatalities (3,087), abandoned vehicles (797), and random objects such as sofas, storage containers, bikes, and even Christmas trees.

National Highways figures show that the M6, which passes through the West Midlands, and M1 have recorded the highest number of incidents this year, followed closely by the M25, M5, and M62.

Regionally, the north west saw the most items collected, with 9,795 incidents, followed by the south east (8,733) and the east of England (8,357). Authorities are urging drivers to secure their loads and avoid using the roadside as a dumping ground, emphasizing the serious risks obstructions pose to road safety.

Traffic officer Cat Martin, who discovered the abandoned boat on top of a damaged trailer with her partner Dave Wilkinson, said: “It was a surprise to see something of this size on the side of a slip road, causing a distraction and obstruction to drivers. It’s fortunate it did not cause a serious accident.

“You would think someone would be missing their boat, but we were unable to locate the owner and so it made its way to the scrapyard as soon as we could get it safely removed.”

Marie Biddulph, Regional Safety Programme Manager at National Highways, said: “These items left on or alongside our roads can put drivers at risk, while retrieving them often leads to a road or lanes being closed, causing an inconvenience to other motorists.

“Our message is simple – dispose of your unwanted items in the correct way and secure your loads properly before you set out on your journey. Following these measures could prevent a collision and avoids unwelcome objects from blighting the environment along our roadsides.”