A Lancaster man dedicating his spare time to cleaning up the River Lune is calling on the community to help.

As we reported earlier this month, Rowan Wood is spending hours each week pulling abandoned shopping trolleys, bikes and other debris from the river.

He is logging his work on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577489848878 and on his website/app at www.rivercleanup.co.uk

To date, Rowan has recovered more than 1.5 tonnes of material, including shopping trolleys, bicycles, a motorbike/scooter, wheelchairs and other debris.

Rowan Wood has been clearing items including shopping trolleys out of the River Lune.

placeholder image — Rowan Wood has been clearing items including shopping trolleys out of the River Lune.

Among his recent hauls was a Domino’s electric scooter.

And the 37-year-old dad-of-four is now setting up community events to help his cause further.

"Consistency is key to a clean river,” he said. “RiverCleanup.co.uk runs regular litter picks along the banks and public pathways here in Lancaster to stay ahead of the tide and the plastic.”

Rowan tracks and posts the specific tide times for every event for safety reasons, to ensure a safe margin of time to work and clear the banks before the water returns.

The next meet-up is on May 2 and will last for around five hours.

Meet at the Transatlantic Slave Trade Monument by the Millennium Bridge from 10am.

Rowan provides bags, but asks that people bring their own sturdy gloves, litter pickers and footwear.

“Let’s keep the momentum going,” he said. “Every bag filled is plastic that doesn't reach the ocean.”