A motorbike, trolleys and traffic cones were among heaps of rubbish pulled from the River Stour by shocked volunteers.

The litter-pickers joined a team from Natural England and the Kentish Stour Country Partnership (KSCP) in a clear-up of the waterway in Ashford yesterday.

It comes amid concerns raised by residents, including one grandmother who said she was “disgusted” to see so much waste dumped.

Pam Lauder, who lives in Kennington, said: “I was really embarrassed that my six-year-old grandson had to witness it.

“What about the wildlife and fish - do people not care?

“I feel some people haven’t been taught not to throw litter about.

“Some do it as a laugh, and when it’s not cleared up it encourages others to add to it.

“It needs to be cleared properly, with signs put up.”

Mrs Lauder believes the river has been “neglected for a while now”.

“I think the message it sends out is, as the authority is not bothered, why should others be bothered? They just see it as a rubbish dump.”

Upper Denmark Road residents Sue Ward and her husband Steve have also grown increasingly concerned about the amount of littering and fly-tipping.

They said: “It includes empty glass wine bottles, broken beer bottles, empty cans of alcohol, plastic drink bottles and fast food outlet packaging, plastic waste, energy drink cans, clothes, cigarette boxes tyres and building waste, helium canisters, and cream canisters.

“This sort of behaviour is so detrimental to our wildlife and the environment and really needs looking into.

“Things really have to change.”

Lauren Baker has worked for the KSCP - which receives funding from Ashford Borough Council - for seven years.

She says she had been contacted by a resident about the motorcycle in the river.

“Luckily we have had this litter pick in the diary for ages so could remove it quickly,” she said.

“It’s concerning because it could have oil inside, which would be extremely bad for the environment and wildlife.

“I would encourage anyone who sees anything like this in a river to contact the Environment Agency immediately.”

Emily Davis, who also works for the KSCP, added: “The trolleys were in pristine condition so it sounds like they are dumped quite often.

“There were lots of traffic cones too, and lots of things we can’t identify - we think there is part of a bar stool here.

“People just need to respect their surroundings a little bit more.”

A spokesman for ABC says the authority tackles river littering in a number of ways, including an awareness campaign, clear-ups by the Environment Agency and KSCP, and using its street cleansing contractor in accessible areas of the water.

They added: “We have volunteers in the community that conduct regular litter picks in areas adjoining waterways. These volunteers are highly appreciated and are much needed as we cannot completely resource litter-picking through the contract.

“We need public support in both changing behaviour to protect our environment, and in reporting when a resident has committed an offence. Recently a sofa was disposed in the middle of the Stour which is unacceptable. With residents’ support, we can improve how we protect the environment for us all to enjoy.”

Any hotspots for litter congregating in the Stour can be reported to the Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership kentishstour@kent.gov.uk who will try their best to remove when they have availability.