ISLAND Roads has begun an intensive period of street cleansing, aimed at removing autumn leaves from the highway - and that is only the start of the job, with plans for composting and recycling water.

Over the next ten weeks, additional mechanical sweepers and extra shifts will see tonnes of leaves removed from the network ahead of winter.

Areas with known high leaf-fall will be targeted in particular.

Island Roads says the leaves and any additional material collected during the sweeping will be sorted and recycled.

Upon collection, the leaves are taken to Island Roads’s depot at Stag Lane.

The leaf pile is then drained and released water captured and filtered before being discharged back into the sewer system.

The leaf litter is then sorted, so material like sand and grit can be reused as building materials. The leaf pile itself is then used for compost and soil.

Operative Lee Jones and chargehand Amanda Cooney getting ready for leaf cleaning.

Dave Wallis, Island Roads’ operations and maintenance manager, said: “It is important we do all we can to remove leaves from the road and footway network.

“Not only can leaves become slippery to cars and pedestrians if left uncollected, heavy leaf-fall can also obscure road markings and compromise the highway drainage system

“Fortunately, we know roughly when and where leaf-fall has been an issue, and we will focus our efforts on these areas during the coming ten weeks.”