Paddleboarders' plea after wheelie bins and trolleys ditched in river
Paddleboarder Darren Reeve is urging people to do their bit to stop river pollution - Credit: Darren Reeve
The founder of a paddleboarding club has said "shocking" amounts of rubbish are being chucked into the city's river - and has issued a rallying cry to clean up the waterway.
Darren Reeve founded the Norfolk Paddle Meet Up Group after moving to Norfolk and regularly brings paddleboarders together to take to the River Wensum.
Paddleboarder Darren Reeve is urging people to do their bit to stop river pollution - Credit: Darren Reeve
But in recent weeks he has been left "shocked" by the amount of litter he has found in the water - from shopping trolleys to wheelie bins and all sorts of plastic products in between.
This weekend just gone, the group held a charity clean-up event which raised £220 for the RNLI - held across the county.
Norfolk Paddle Meet up Group member Peter Darling during a river clean with a discarded plastic chair on board - Credit: Darren Reeve
Mr Reeve, 47, who lives in Stalham, said: "I went for paddle down the Wensum on Sunday and honestly, when I saw how much rubbish there was I was just shocked.
Rubbish pulled out of the river by Norfolk Paddle Meet Up Group - Credit: Darren Reeve
"I think maybe people think that throwing the odd thing in there won't make a difference, but it just adds up and up and if hundreds and thousands of other people think the same it soon becomes even more of a problem.
"My message to people is to just think of all the beautiful wildlife that uses the river - from fish, to otters to kingfishers. That river is their home.
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"When you litter the river it is basically the same as just dumping all your rubbish in somebody else's house."
Norfolk Paddle Meet Up Group member Gill during a clean-up - Credit: Darren Reeve
But despite the operation Mr Reeve says there is much left to be done and has set himself a mission to keep cleaning up the Wensum.
On Saturday, at 10am, a team the group's members are preparing to set out onto the river from the Gibraltar Gardens to gather as much litter as they can on their paddleboards.
Mr Reeve said he was hopeful that around 20 group members will take part in the clean-up on Saturday - but he knows it will take more to get on top of the problem.
He added: "As a group we want to raise as much awareness as we can and my message to others is this: do your bit and don't dump your rubbish in the river."
