The level of cleanliness on Thurrock's section of the A13 "is doing the image of the borough a great disservice" according to local MP Andrew Mackinlay.

Mr Mackinlay said: "The A13 is an important gateway into Thurrock. For many it forms their first impression of Thurrock. To see so much rubbish along our stretch of the road is doing the image of Thurrock a great disservice."

Mr Mackinlay was critical of Thurrock Council's role in not keeping the road clean.

But the council's deputy leader, Garry Hague, who will be standing for the Conservatives against Mr Mackinlay at the general election, said the criticism was unjust and he pledged the council would be pumping more resources into its cleaning operation.

Mr Mackinlay had said: "You really notice when you drive along the A13 into Thurrock now.

"The roadsides are scattered with litter, old mattresses and other fly tipped material in lay byes.

"The A13 in Thurrock now looks like a litter bin and seems to becoming more and more attractive to fly tippers.

"It used to be commonplace to see teams of roadside cleaners doing their stuff.

"Their hard work really made a difference to the road's appearance. Nowadays it's rare to see anyone doing the job.

"Thurrock Council is responsible for keeping our section of the A13 tidy. "I do not under estimate the difficulty keeping this road looking clean and tidy, it requires a commitment and dedication that is clear for all to see is now very sadly lacking."

Mr Hague responded by saying that the council were committed to tackling the problem and said that only a month ago he went out with a team that cleaned up tonnes of rubbish from the A13.

And he pledged things would get even better soon.

"People should remember that we have been working within the budgets set by the Labour administration but, in the budgets we are currently preparing we are planning a 50 per cent increase in the allocation for street cleaning, including the A13.

"Our election manifesto was based on a clean and safe borough and that is what we aim to provide," said Mr Hague.

A spokesperson for the council's cleansing department said: "We would like to reassure residents that the council is working hard to achieve a cleaner and more pleasant Thurrock.

"Three weeks ago we had 10 staff focused on cleaning the A13 and other main roads. In two days we collected 450 bags of rubbish amounting to a total of two tonnes of litter.

"We will continue to prosecute fly-tipping offenders and issue on-the-spot litter fines. Very soon we will organise a spot check on all heavy vehicles using the A13 in partnership with the police and environmental agency.

"So far this year we have cleared the A13 on five different occasions and we are currently in the process of organising further cleaning.

"Historically we only cleaned this road twice a year."