A woman who runs a voluntary litter-picking group says the Highway Authorities are not doing their bit.

Naomie Barclay from Tonbridge said: "It used to be just the main A-roads that were bad, but now if you look down any road, even our once beautiful country lanes, they are all sprinkled with rubbish!

"The roads are in the worst state that I have ever seen them.

"I have emailed Highways England, they say it is the local councils' responsibility and 'they do litter pick as often as they can.'

"Something is not stacking up. There must have been some serious budget cuts or some mismanaged funds because we are literally drowning in litter and no one is taking responsibility for it."

Mrs Barclay established the Clean Up Tonbridge & Tunbridge Wells litter-picking group six weeks ago, and they have already tidied roads in north Tonbridge and around the Vauxhall roundabout n Tonbridge.

On Sunday they are cleaning up Pembury and on Saturday, April 6, they tackle Southborough Common.

But although Mrs Barclay and her team of volunteers do what they can on their local roads, they can't tackle roads like the A21, because it's too dangerous.

She said: "Anyway, councils should not be relying on the good will of volunteers to clear it up."

In the longer term, Mrs Barclay said the country needed a serious shake-up with some hard-hitting TV adverts, social media campaigns and school visits to educate people against dropping litter.

Mrs Barclay, who is often assisted in her litter-picks by her son Thomas, nine, and daughter Jessica, eight, works at St Augustine's Primary School in Tunbridge Wells.

She said: "It's not the young children who are causing the problem - many of them are very environmentally aware. It is the older generations who are letting us down."

She said: "We are all living in a self-created litter bin and it's disgusting, not to mention embarrassing, that a country as beautiful and incredible as ours looks like this! We should be utterly ashamed of ourselves."

The problem is growing even though fines for dropping litter have been increased recently.

If anyone would like to assist the volunteers, the Pembury clean-up starts from Notcutts at 2.30pm and the Southborough clean-up from the St Peter's Church car park at 1pm.

What do you think? Contact the Kent Messenger on ajsmith@thekmgroup.co.uk