Local Rowan Antony Wood has set up a website to track all the trolleys and bikes in the River Lune – and has started removing them, too.
“I wanted to bring awareness to the current state of the river and an effort being made to clean it up,” he says.
“I’ve been pulling rubbish out of the river just trying to get it back to a decent state.
“I’ve also mapped some of the worst spots on the site so it’s easier to see where things need sorting.
“If anyone wants to get involved, you’re welcome to join in,” Rowan adds. “The more people helping, the quicker it gets done.”
Currently, you can’t finds to this map yourself, as Rowan wants to keep the data accurate and manageable, as you can probably imagine. However, he is happy to receive details directly through his Facebook page.
You can check the River Lune cleanup progress or support it here: rivercleanup.co.uk
Please don’t list rubbish he’s missed in comments here, he’s unlikely to see them. Rowan is on Facebook here.
The responsibility for cleaning our waterways is complex, spread over both private and public landowners, and various agencies.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England website notes anyone who owns land above water or with a watercourse running through or adjacent to it is regarded as a ‘riparian owner’ and has duties and rights. Landowners (on which a watercourse runs) are principally responsible for clearing litter and other obstructions such as animal carcasses, from the rivers and banks, even if they did not come from the owner’s land. However, most watercourses and rivers are actually owned and managed by the Canal and River Trust, or the Environment Agency.
The removal of rubbish by canal owners is required only where it is interfering in navigation. It is unclear whether litter or fly-tipped waste needs to be removed for amenity purposes. For further information visit the Canal and River Trust website.
The Environment Agency has responsibility for regulating water quality in rivers and managing the potential risk of flooding but does not have any specific duty to keep rivers and canals clear of litter or enforce against littering. However, the Environment Agency has an annual maintenance programme to clear obstructions from rivers that might cause a flood risk (typically items which have been fly-tipped, such as tyres).
The Environment Agency is the designated Land Drainage Authority for main rivers and has powers to ensure that rivers are maintained, undertake clearance work and charge riparian owners who have not fulfilled their duties of maintenance.
“More and more people, especially along the waterways, are picking up other people’s litter,” the CPRE notes. “Volunteer parties transform whole lengths of canal in a day of picking up rubbish with tongs, rakes and gloved hands while some clear litter in the water from kayaks or paddleboards.”
You can check the River Lune cleanup progress or support it here: rivercleanup.co.uk
Please don’t list rubbish he’s missed in comments here, he’s unlikely to see them. Rowan is on Facebook here.