A trio of bright orange bins have been installed at one of Beccles’ most infamous litter hotspots causing a “noticeable drop” in the amount of waste dumped.

In March a group of volunteer litter pickers were left appalled after discovering a mountain of urine-filled bottles and bags containing human waste in a lay-by along the A146.

The Beccles Bombles, who meet weekly to clear up litter across the town, filled 20 bags with bottles of urine, nappies and plastic bags of human waste in just one hour.

However in June three smart litter bins were placed along the busy road as part of Suffolk Waste Partnership’s trial campaign to reduce littering on the county’s trunk roads.

Waveney District councillor Caroline Topping, who helped form the Beccles Bombles, said: “Beccles has three of the 15 bins which have been installed across Suffolk. “They are not particularly pleasant to look at but they certainly do the job.

“The Bombles went out on a litter pick two weeks after the bins were installed and there was a notable drop.

“We collected two bags of rubbish; before we filled 20 with all sorts of nasty stuff.”

Mrs Topping said the new bins are raising awareness of the littering issues across Suffolk - which costs £300,000 a year to tackle.

The customised bins are designed for roadside use with illuminated ‘Litter’ signs, a wide aperture to make disposal easy and the message ‘Keep Suffolk Beautiful’.

By making the bins bright orange it is hoped they will be more visible for drivers using the lay-bys during the day and night.

The bins are also fitted with new remote monitoring devices to help councils coordinate the emptying of these bins more effectively.

The devices will monitor rubbish levels and send an alert once a pre-set level has been reached so they can be emptied before they overflow.

While Mrs Topping believes “in general Beccles is looking a lot tidier” she admits a recent litter pick with Beccles Brownies revealed an issue with discarded cigarette butts.

She said: “They are the worst thing; they are difficult to pick up and they are everywhere.

“If your employees are going outside for a smoke break provide a place for them to put the cigarette butts.”