A FAIRGROUND ride and a boat were among items abandoned at the side of UK A-roads and motorways this year.

National Highways, which maintains major routes across the country, said the unusual finds were among more than 49,000 objects collected by National Highways teams between January 1 and September 30.

Revealing the details, the organisation urged drivers not to use the roadside as a dumping ground – and to ensure their loads are safely secured.

The boat was spotted far from open water – on the side of the A42 near Measham, Leicestershire in July.

And an officer came across the abandoned fairground ride in a verge along the M180 near Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, last month.

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.”

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National Highways traffic officers often have to close lanes or carriageways to remove large items and experience first-hand the negative impact obstructions can have on drivers and their safety, a spokesperson said.

Of the tens of thousands of items recovered from UK routes this year, most were building or construction materials (9,685), followed by vehicle parts or accessories and tyres.

Other items included 3,575 household or garden items, 3,087 animal fatalities and 797 abandoned vehicles.

A sofa, storage container, Christmas trees and bikes are among other obstructions and shed loads rescued by traffic officers directly from the carriageways.

The fairground ride found abandoned next to the M180 near Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. Picture: National Highways

The most common locations for finds this year have been on the M6 and M1, followed by the M25, M5 and M62.

Of the items collected, most of them (9,795) have been discovered on carriageways in the north west, followed by the south east with 8,733 items, and in the east of the country with 8,357.

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.”