A sofa, some shopping trolleys and a tin bath are just some of the more unusual items lurking beneath the murky waters of the Regent’s Canal, it has been revealed.
Last week, the Canal and River Trust published the results of a survey conducted as part of its £45 million restoration programme.
The report included some of the objects people throw into their local canals and waterways to discourage flytipping.
It found a typical tennis court-sized lock contained one bike, a shopping trolley, a traffic cone, seven glass bottles, four tyres, 50 plastic bags, 23 cans and three windlasses or lock keys.
In the Regent’s Canal alone the trust’s volunteers found tens of thousands of glass bottles, thousands of cans, over 20 mobile phones, 30 windlasses, two shilling coins, a tape cassette player, 70 tonnes of silt, 12 car tyres, several shopping trolleys, several traffic cones, two bicycles, a tin bath, a safe and even a sofa.
According to the charity, it costs about £1 million each year to clear the dumped rubbish, which it says could be better spent on improving wildlife habitats and ensuring the waterways are clear for boaters.
Sam Thomas, customer operations manager for Canal & River Trust in London, said: “I’m constantly surprised at what people throw into the Regent’s Canal and the quantity of litter that we retrieve from the waterways in Islington.
“Dealing with the problem is a big task and the money could be better spent enhancing the canals in that area for people and wildlife to enjoy for years to come.”
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