Volunteers in Ellesmere, north Shropshire, have cleared rubbish from the town’s famous Mere after the recent heatwave caused water levels to fall.
The summer’s record-breaking heat and dry weather caused lakes and rivers across the UK to drop to unusually low levels.
The lower water level allowed Ellesmere Park ranger Lee Fraser to walk into the Mere with volunteers and remove litter, including bricks, pottery and mobile phones.
Fraser said the team had already collected “five large buckets” of rubbish, enough to cover around half the length of the town’s promenade.
This year, Fraser decided to enter the water to collect the litter, saying it was easier to see debris beneath the surface.
“We tried it last year from a boat, but when you stand on the shore you can see all the bricks,” Fraser said.
“Once you’re in the water or on the boat, you can’t spot them, even if you’re next to them and someone is shouting that they’re there.”
“There are already quite a lot of bricks along the side, but we had only been working for less than an hour,” Fraser added.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk