Charlie Elphicke has joined a Deal couple in their campaign to fight against the “totally unacceptable” issue of litter in Kent.

The politician has invited John and Sue Andrews, of Duke Street, to meet him to further discuss the proposals they made in a letter sent to Dover District Council, Kent County Council, Department for Environment (Defra), Food and Rural Affairs, Highways Agency, Kent Tourist Board and town councils and parliamentary candidates.

The couple are committed to tackling the issue and suggested several solutions to the problem in their letter, including educating children.

Mr Elphicke replied that he was fully behind them on the matter.

He said: “I thought they made some very good points. The litter on our roads and verges is appalling. It is so frustrating when the rest of us respect our environment and would never litter in this way.”

One of the main reasons for the rubbish along the main roads, he said, was the lorries that park overnight and dump their rubbish before leaving.

He said: “We need lorry parks as a matter of priority, and I am working on that with the government and local councils/stakeholders.

“This would take the lorries off our roads and lay-bys. I have asked for support in securing funding for these lorry parks.”

Following recent clean-ups on the A20 and A2, Mr Elphicke also pledged to continue to monitor and press further, if necessary, to ensure regular litter picking was carried out.

After receiving the email on Monday, Mr Andrews said: “The email was the excellent response that all of us in the county would have hoped for.”

He added: “We have also received very supportive responses from Labour candidate Clair Hawkins and KCC leader Paul Carter.

“This is a local issue of real concern that will be a consideration on election day. We’re happy that we have been able to air our views and we’ve had good responses back.”