THE Lancashire Evening Telegraph's Grimewatch team took to the water in the battle against fly tipping.

Lynn Schofield, who co-ordinates the award-winning competition, and Grimewatch reporter Valerie Cowan joined a squad from Groundwork Blackburn to clear rubbish from the stream under Newfield Drive, Blackburn.

Lynn said: "We wanted to draw attention to the mess that people are creating because they can't be bothered to properly dispose of rubbish.

"But we also wanted to show that with a little bit of effort, you can make your environment better - even if it is only by picking up empty crisp packets and chocolate wrappers from the street where you live."

In just a few hours, the team filled a skip with every kind of rubbish, including tyres, shopping trolleys, road signs and even a wheelie bin.

Jason Brindle, project officer at Groundwork, said he was horrified by the amount of rubbish found under the bridge - especially as the area had been cleaned out only 12 months previous.

"It is really shocking. All this has built up over the last year. "People have brought rubbish from all over to dump it here.

"From the bridge it doesn't look too bad but when you are down in the water you realise how much rubbish there is.

"The worst thing is there is no need for it - there are plenty of ways you can dispose of rubbish safely and legally."

And he encouraged people to take the time to tidy up their local area.

"If you see rubbish, pick it up and put it in the bin.

"If everybody did that, the problem would disappear."

Dave Hortin, Darwen River Valley Initiative officer, said: "As soon as someone throws something over the bridge it becomes someone else's problem further down the river.

"Apart from causing pollution, rubbish builds up and can lead to serious floods."

A Blackburn with Darwen Council spokeswoman said free collection of bulky household waste could be arranged by ringing 01254 585921.

Garden waste and DIY building materials could be disposed of at household waste centres at George Street West, Blackburn, and Spring Vale, Darwen.

And she warned: "Anyone caught fly tipping will face hefty fines or possibly even imprisonment."

Let us know if you have done something to improve your local environment. You could win a prestigious Grimewatch award.

Contact Lynn Schofield for details by phone on 01254 678678 ext 244 from 9.30am to 12.30pm Mondays and Thursdays. Or fax the details on 01254 690429, or by e-mail at grimewatch@aol.com.

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