Tyres, trolleys and a chair pulled out of Preston waterways by volunteers as part of Great British Spring Clean

Ribble Rivers Trust volunteers have tidied up river banks across Lancashire during the Great British Spring Clean.
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Dozens of bags of litter and other debris were collected on the riverside walkway at Preston Docks, Eaves Brook at Preston and Tinker Brook at Oswaldtwistle.

People are well aware of the problems of pollution in our oceans but most of the rubbish comes down from the rivers so the Trust is very active in trying to clean the Ribble’s rivers and prevent the rubbish reaching the oceans,” said the Trust’s head of learning and engagement, Harvey Hamilton-Thorpe.

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He added: “During the pandemic, people have been out and about a lot more, enjoying their local environment so it’s important that we keep rivers clean and healthy for people and wildlife.”

Explorer Scouts helping at Eaves Brook, PrestonExplorer Scouts helping at Eaves Brook, Preston
Explorer Scouts helping at Eaves Brook, Preston

Fifteen Explorer Scouts and Leaders from Seadogs ESU in Preston helped collect 12 bags of rubbish, five trolleys, a tyre and a chair from Eaves Brook in just over an hour.

“The Explorer Scouts did a great job in a small amount of time,” said Helen Smith, the Trust’s community projects and activities officer.

“I was impressed how dedicated they were, hauling five trolleys and a chair from Eaves Brook. The brook feeds into Savick Brook, which in turn joins the Ribble near Lea, so any litter removed from Eaves Brook is prevented from making its way out to the sea via the River Ribble.”

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The clean-up at Preston Docks was helped by 15 Trust volunteers who collected 16 bags of rubbish, some wire meshing and lots of plastic containers.

“Our volunteers did a fantastic job at clearing the right-side bank of the River Ribble along Preston Docks, Riverside Walkway,” said RRT volunteer supervisor, Robert Cooper.

“Although the tall vegetation made it a difficult day to access some of the litter, the volunteers were amazing at collecting as much as possible and managed to get lots of plastic containers out of the vegetation, preventing them from entering the river and being washed away to the sea.“

For further information about volunteering, visit ribbletrust.org.uk or contact Ribble Rivers Trust on 01200 444452.

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