• Leybourne Lakes Country Park in Kent
• River Irwell at Bury, Greater Manchester

Over 350 bags of rubbish, 25 tyres, an avocado toilet and an abandoned sign saying ‘Cleaning in Progress’ were among items removed from the banks of rivers and lakes during two ‘Big Litter Picks’ organised by the Angling Trust and Nash Tackle and supported by dozens of anglers.

The litter picks were in support of Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean initiative and took place at the River Irwell in Bury, Greater Manchester, and Leybourne Lakes Country Park in Kent.

Nash celebrity carp anglers Alan Blair, Oli Davies and Julian Cundiff joined Angling Trust Environment Officers Ian Doyle (North) and Drew Chadwick (South) at the events which once again highlighted just how much anglers care about the environment. The Angling Trust’s Anglers Against Litter campaign, sponsored by Shimano, has already provided litter picking kits to more than 60 angling clubs who carry out regular litter collections throughout the year, with more kits being delivered to clubs in coming months.

The Leybourne Lakes litter pick covered eight miles around nearly 200 acres of gravel pits and included volunteers from SWS Fisheries and local dog walkers.

At the River Irwell litter pick, volunteers included representatives from Little Britain Anglers, Bury Council, British Canoeing, and litter collectors from Bury and Radcliffe.

Ian Doyle said:
“It was great to see so many people giving up their time to make a real difference to an area of Bury that has had major issues with litter and fly-tipping. For many anglers, the place they fish is just as important as the fishing so keeping them free from pollution and litter is vitally important.”

Drew Chadwick added:
“These fantastic events were well supported by anglers and the local community, and their efforts have helped to improve the environment for everyone. Thank you to all who took part.”

You can discover more about our Anglers Against Litter campaign HERE