The charity Friends of Avon Meadows brought in a substantial quantity of rubbish after a recent litter-picking event at Pershore’s local nature reserve.

Seventeen volunteers spent about an hour on a chilly Saturday morning combing through reeds and brambles, and peering into ponds and streams, in order to clean up the wetlands before the spring season.

The nature reserve is a haven for wildlife of all kinds, as well as providing a role in flood defences for the River Avon.

The bottles, tins and plastic collected would bring some risks to the wildlife and people, as well as spoiling the beauty of the natural environment.

“We’re delighted at the good turnout from our local community,” said Richard Stott, chairman of the Friends of Avon Meadows.

“While we would rather have found no litter in the meadows, our success in finding so much means that the bird, insect and animal life will have a much safer, cleaner environment in which to prosper.”

Future litter-picking events will be announced on the group’s Facebook page and in the membership newsletter – see https://avonmeadows.org.uk/ for information on how to join the Friends.