Durham volunteers have removed more than 50 bags of rubbish from the River Wear during a recent community clean-up, bringing the group closer to collecting 1,000 bags of waste.
Durham City Riverscape Community was established shortly before the coronavirus pandemic and organises monthly river clean-ups to tackle litter along the River Wear.
The volunteer group estimates it has removed several tonnes of waste from the river since it began, including large household items such as refrigerators recovered earlier this year.
Lead volunteer Graham Hollingwood said the group was approaching the milestone of 1,000 bags collected. He said the achievement highlighted “how much work goes into protecting our riverbanks” and recognised the “incredible” commitment of the volunteers.
Mr Hollingwood said removing a full-sized refrigerator-freezer from the River Wear had been the group’s biggest challenge so far, but the dedicated team successfully completed the task.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk