Environmentally conscious litter-pickers took to their kayaks to clear a section of the River Stour near Ashford and collected a whopping 65 bin bags of rubbish.

Volunteers from the Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership (KSCP), Trust for Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and The Conservation Volunteers (CV) donned gloves and hi-vis’ jackets before the clean-up.

The team scoured the river and its banks between Conningbrook lakes and Wye, picking up some unusual rubbish, including an old glass television screen and a fuel heater.

They noted that there were numerous footballs but said the most common litter was plastic bottles.

Diane Comley, KSCP partnership officer, said the clean up event was organised following a complaint from Kennington resident Albert Walton, who said he was concerned about the amount of rubbish in and beside the river. She said the volunteers were also happy to support the KM Group’s Clean Up Kent campaign.

She said: “Mr Walton also offered to help using his kayak so altogether there were about 20 volunteers, two kayaks, the KSCP boat and my dog Abby.

“We chose that stretch of the river because it is rarely cleared of rubbish.

“As well as the aesthetic problem of litter, when it finds its way into a river system, the plastics in particular break down and pollute the water both in the river and out to sea, which harms habitat and wildlife directly and indirectly.”