More rubbish pulled from water in Shrewsbury
Tyres, shopping trollies, road signs, wheelbarrows and mounds of plastic - these were just some of things pulled out of the River Severn in Shrewsbury this week.
Shrewsbury Town Council, Shropshire Wildlife Trust and local volunteers teamed up to clean Rea Brook.
It is part of an ongoing effort to rid the river of plastic which eventually ends up in the sea.
Matt Wilcoxon, from the council's countryside unit, waded into the water and spent six hours pulling out various objects that have been thrown in - including 18 tyres.
One of the tyres was from a tractor and was so big it had to be winched out.
He said: "I put my waders on and walked along the brook, and anything I found I would pass up to the others.
"I'm really surprised at just how many tyres there were in there. We've done this job before but the water levels were really low so I think it uncovered lots of things that were previously hidden.
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"It feels good to have got all of that stuff out and to remove pollution from the River Severn."
Mr Wilcoxon was aided by Pete Dunhill and Jay Mitchell who volunteer their time to help the countryside unit.
The pair regularly help to repair fences, mow grass and clean up the waterways.
"They both really seem to enjoy it. It can be a tough job but we do lots of different things to keep it varied. They are a really big asset to the council," Mr Wilcoxon added.
So far the team has cleared the stretch between Old Potts Way and Sutton Farm, and in the coming weeks will continue all the way up to Meole Brace.
Last week Shropshire Wildlife Trust, as part of their Love Your Magnificent Severn campaign, pulled out traffic cones, an office chair, a saw and more from a stretch of the waterway.
An estimated 80 per cent of the plastic that ends up in the sea originates from rivers.
