Richmond and District anglers litter pick beside River Swale

The group spent the morning of March 17 picking litter alongside the river between Mercury Bridge and Easby. Half a dozen bags of litter were collected, plastic drinks bottles, cans, fast food packaging and glass.

The club is taking part in an initiative run by the Angling Trust, which provided the litter picking equipment.

"Litter pollution presents a major threat to our waterways," a spokesperson for the club said. "Plastic does not biodegrade, instead breaking down into smaller pieces that remain in the environment. Fish and other aquatic animals may mistake these small plastic particles for food, eat it, and then plastic enters our food chain.

"For other forms of litter pollution, animals can easily become entangled or injure themselves, sadly resulting in death in some cases.

"This litter is often discarded or left on the riverbank, blown in from nearby streets, or in the case of spate rivers such as the Swale, is washed downstream during floods.

"Litter picks such as this are being undertaken by anglers on a regular basis across the country to help tackle this environmental issue."

Members of Richmond and District Angling Society also undertake water quality monitoring on the Swale and invertebrate monitoring on Gilling / Skeeby beck following a recent pollution incident.

Founded in 1912, Richmond and District Angling Society has more than 12 miles of fly and coarse fishing on the River Swale. The club welcomes new members, whatever their age or experience, and is particularly keen to increase its number of junior and female members.

See club website www.richmondangling.org.uk for details.