THIRTY-EIGHT eco-warriors from Bridgwater came together last Saturday (December 7) and cleared rubbish and dog poo bags from the town’s canal and towpath.

Rage Against Rubbish organised the event with the help of the Inland Waterway Association (IWA) Somerset Volunteers and removed litter along the canal from the YMCA in Bridgwater to Brownes Pond on Taunton Road.

Sarah Johnstone, who lives in Bridgwater and is part of the community group, Rage Against Rubbish, explained: “What a fantastic turn out for our last litter pick of the year.

"We had 11 new volunteers join us, which was brilliant.

"Lots of people got into the festive spirit and dressed up in their Christmas jumpers and Santa hats.

“We collected 14 black bags of rubbish including lots of glass bottles and cans as well as traffic cones and the standard crisp packets and sweet wrappers. We also managed to fill a black bin bag full of dog poo bags.

“We were astonished with the amount of dog waste on the towpath and it seems some dog walkers will bag the poo up and then just leave the bag on the towpath.

"We would really like to encourage all dog walkers to place their poo bags in the bins provided along the canal."

“We know it’s not all dog walkers that leave their poo bags, but we would love to see less dog mess on the towpath in 2020. So maybe a New Year’s resolution for some dog owners out there.”

Rage Against Rubbish’s next litter pick will take place on Saturday, January 25 from the YMCA George Williams Centre on Friarn Avenue in Bridgwater. It will start from 9.50am and run until 12.30pm.

The community group has bin bags, litter pickers and bag hoops for volunteers to use free of charge. Kayaks and canoes can also be booked via the Rage Against Rubbish website.