Banburyshire canalside and towpath gets a clean up as eager canoe club members turn out in force

Litterpickers were used to remove rubbish from the canalside - most of it plastic waste

About 20 members of the Cropredy-based club went out after training, clearing rubbish left dotted around the edges of the waterway. They were supported by the Canal and River Trust.

From the water the groups of juniors and adults cleared from the Mill in Spiceball Park, Banbury to Cropredy while those on the towpath cleaned the stretches from Claydon Middle Lock to the centre of Banbury and from Nell Bridge to Twyford.

"The rubbish found was largely plastic or glass bottles, with some items still in very good condition - perhaps accidentally lost from narrow boats rather than dumped," said spokesman Siobhan Urquhart. "The most interesting item was an old - and empty - pet carrier but there were many other things that really didn’t bear thinking about."

Canoe club members collected bags of rubbish from the towpath and canalside from Twyford to Claydon

The initiative was part of British Canoeing’s support of Surfers against Sewage in their 'Million Mile Clean' - helping communities to take action to remove plastic pollution from our most treasured blue and green spaces. This was the first week of action in the campaign which runs throughout the year, and the club plans to do more in the coming months.

The clean-up came before last weekend's return to more normal action for the club, with people taking part in the first marathon race in 14 months.