Buckinghamshire Council confirmed the A404 dual carriageway was closed for three days last week to tackle litter after coming under fire for the area being plagued by rubbish.

Cabinet Minister for Transport, Steven Broadbent, said the stretch of A404 dual carriageway from High Wycombe to Marlow was safely cleaned last week including the clearing up of litter, an issue that had recently been raised by concerned residents.

He said the works, which took place between Tuesday and Thursday last week, involved lane closures and traffic cones to redirect vehicles, which have since been removed from the site.

Mr Broadbent added: "We would like to remind people that littering is a criminal offence and urge everyone to be responsible and take your litter home with you."

Residents in Marlow expressed concern that littering along the A404 road has taken a turn for the worse, despite the action of local volunteer litter-picking groups. 

On FixMyStreet, a website that allows residents to inform local authorities about street-related issues, one resident complained of litter stretching out for miles along the A404 entering Marlow.

Councillor for West Wycombe, Darren Hayday, commented last week on the worrying build-up of litter along the road.

He said the stretch of dual carriageway was too dangerous to be tidied regularly by volunteer groups and is only able to be fully cleaned twice a year because of the inconvenience caused by Buckinghamshire Council closing the road. 

Local volunteer groups in the area include the Marlow Wombles, who organise weekly litter-picking events.

The Wombles meet weekly at the Ark community cafe in Marlow, at 10am on Mondays and Tuesdays, and are always welcoming of new recruits who would like to join the clean-up effort.

Cabinet Minister for Transport, Mr Broadbent, also confirmed that resurfacing works were planned to take place on Fieldhouse Lane in Marlow.

The roadworks were initially due to finish on March 15 but due to severe weather conditions over the past week, the repainting of lines on the road could not be completed and work has been rescheduled for March 16. 

The Cabinet Minister said: "The works will take place during the day, with crew using 'stop' and 'go' boards to keep traffic moving and allow the road to stay open.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank residents for their patience."