A CLEANING operation costing taxpayers roughly �2,500 is due to take place ahead of the weekend as a rolling road block stumbles down the A120.

Braintree District Council is undertaking a night time operation to sweep and litter pick a busy three mile stretch of the dual carriageway between London Road and the Felsted exit.

Funded under the Council’s Green Heart of Essex campaign, the work will take place on Friday (June 17) from 7pm until the early hours of Saturday morning and will involve eight of the council’s street cleansing staff, as well as traffic management contractors.

It follows last September’s successful clean-up of another stretch of the A120 between Coggeshall Road and London Road.

Cllr Wendy Schmitt, Cabinet Member for the Environment and Lead Member for the Green Heart of Essex, said: “Once again, action is being taken under the Green Heart of Essex to keep the district clean and green.

“Large-scale clean up operations like this are a necessary investment to keep our strategic routes looking clean and tidy for all those who travel into and around our district.”

The operation will involve litter-picking and removal of debris and dirt/grit from the central reservation, together with mechanical sweeping. A rolling road block will be in place to allow drivers to continue to use the road while the works are carried out.