VOLUNTEERS from Action for the River Kennet were joined by a team from Nationwide in Swindon to take part in the Big River Litter Pick in Marlborough.

The combined workforce of the two teams waded through the River Kennet from Stonebridge Water Meadow in Marlborough on Wednesday (September 14) afternoon. For the third year in a row, volunteers from Action for the River Kennet (ARK) took a boat onto the river and cleared the area from unwanted rubbish.

Anna Forbes, project officer and volunteer co-ordinator, said: “We started from Stonebridge Meadow, we have a little boat that we wade up stream and collect litter along the way. We get to all the places that other people might not be able to get to. The first year we did it we cleared a third of a tonne of litter which Marlborough town council kindly took away. Encouragingly there was less than in previous years, but it is still sad to see so much junk end up in our rivers that is potentially dangerous to wildlife and people. There was a lot in the canal when we first did it, big things like for sale signs and a metal gate, this year the biggest thing was a traffic cone.”

With the extra pairs of hands from Swindon, the volunteers were able to clear everything in the space of a few hours.

“We had 11 volunteers come along this year, it was a mix of ARK volunteers and staff from Nationwide. It was great for them to come along, it gave them a chance to give something back to the community. We started at 1pm and went on until 4.45pm, so it was a full afternoon,” added Miss Forbes.