Drivers warned about habit which causes 10,000 RSPCA reports a year

Drivers have been warned about a bad habit which is causing problems for animals.

Road users dropping organic matter like fruit peel can "lure animals into often fatal situations" where they are hit by passing vehicles, National Highways said. A survey of 2,000 UK adults suggested 45% of people do not think biodegradable food counts as litter.

Three out of 10 (31%) respondents believed organic waste is beneficial to wildlife. National Highways has launched a campaign supported by charities the RSPCA and Keep Britain Tidy to encourage drivers not to drop litter.

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Nick Harris, National Highways chief executive, said: "Littering is a dreadful social problem. It's not just unsightly, it can have a deadly impact on wildlife, turning verges into lethal roadside restaurants. We're working hard to tackle it on our roads, with our people litter-picking every day. To keep them safe we have to close motorway lanes, which delays drivers and costs millions of pounds.

"But if people don't drop litter in the first place it wouldn't need to be picked up so we urge road users to take their litter home."

In the past three years, the RSPCA received more than 10,000 reports of animals found injured, trapped or dead because of litter in England and Wales. That is an average of nearly 10 reports every day.

RSPCA lead wildlife officer Geoff Edmond said: "Our rescuers deal with thousands of incidents every year where animals have been impacted by litter. Old drinks cans and bottles, plastic items and even disposable vapes are just some of the items that pose a danger to our wildlife including hedgehogs, squirrels, deer and foxes.

"Animals can ingest the litter,