HIGHWAYS chiefs battling to stop litter louts throwing their rubbish on to the region's roads have found everything, including the kitchen sink, in recent weeks.

A campaign to drive litter louts off the motorway network was launched yesterday by the Highways Agency and the Keep Britain Tidy Campaign.

At the same time, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council was issuing on-the-spot £50 fines to motorists who threw litter from their car windows.

In the North-East, more than 1,000 cubic metres of rubbish is collected on the A1(M) between Scotch Corner and Gateshead every year. It costs the Highways Agency more than £42,000 a year to keep the route litter free.

Some of the more unusual items removed from the North-East road network includes disco lights, three piece suites, washing machines and a paddling pool. Officers even recovered a kitchen sink from the A1(M) near Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, last Tuesday.

Motorists are being urged to take their litter home with them and take pride in protecting the environment.

Those who indiscriminately fly tip at the side of the road face the threat of legal action if caught.

Highways Agency North-East route manager Shaun Collinson said: "Rubbish on the motorway is not only unsightly, it can be dangerous and is costly to remove. Collecting litter can also involve lane closures, which inevitably means delays for motorists."

Meanwhile, any motorist seen throwing litter out of cars in the Redcar and east Cleveland area yesterday was stopped by a police patrol and issued a fixed penalty fine by council wardens.

The 3pm to 3am offensive, a joint operation with Cleveland Police, targeted four main roads in the borough and is the first of its kind in England.

The 12-hour surveillance was carried out by the council's team of community safety wardens, supported by mobile cameras which will provide any necessary evidence.