MORE than 20 volunteers, aged 10 to 70, took to Warrington’s New Cut Canal to help with the annual big spring clean-up of litter and fly-tipped rubbish.
This event is aimed at getting the canal banks in pristine condition after the winter months in time for the heavy usage it gets during the summer months as it is used increasingly for leisure purposes by walkers and cyclists.
Anne Price, spokeswoman for the New Cut Heritage and Ecology Group said “The group always musters its volunteer workforce in spring before the trees and bushes come into leaf so that they can really find the discarded litter hidden in the undergrowth.
“The canal towpath, an important part of the Mersey Valley Way, borders the council recycling centre on New Cut Lane and this is a growing problem for the group.
“Volunteers work from either end of the canal, some at Weir Lane and some from Paddington Bank normally finding relatively low pickings until they get closer to the recycling centre where unfortunately irresponsible members of the public discard all sorts of waste from broken golf trolleys to flat screen TVs into the woodland and around the paths in the area.”
A pleasing and developing aspect was when volunteers noticed the relatively light “pickings” especially at the Woolston end but the mystery was solved when several dog walkers told them that they do ‘mini litter picks’ when out walking their dogs .
“The volunteer hours amounted to over 80 and the towpath looked really well. It is marvelous to realize that rare wildlife such as the Willow Tit can exist side by side with so many pedestrians and cyclists”
The volunteers - and the skip they filled to the brim
Volunteers in big spring clean-up at historic canal
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