London Mayor Boris Johnson has pledged to clean up the A12 ahead of the Olympics.

Mr Johnson was urged to improve the appearance of the busy Redbridge road at Mayor’s Question Time on Wednesday (4).

Redbridge London Assembly Member Roger Evans asked the Mayor what steps would be taken to combat overgrown plants and litter before the Games.

Mr Johnson said: “The A12 is a very important artery and we are very, very keen to make sure we give visitors the best possible impression of that area.

“Some of the things we are doing is the removal of heavy vegetation, that’s going on in the next couple of weeks, there’s a big programme to spray and dig out weeds and make sure that looks ok.”

The Mayor added that Redbridge Council were working on graffiti removal with Network Rail and litter-picking.

Mr Evans said he was “very pleased” with the plans, which had already started with the mowing of grass in Gants Hill.

He added: “I spoke to some local businesses and they are really pleased.

“It will be a lot better than it is now and as we’ve got the Olympic Torch coming through it’s important that it locks really good.”