Sixteen members of the Northampton Scuba School spent six hours on Saturday, 19 September, removing fly-tipped debris from the River Nene in Northampton. Working alongside Northampton Active and the Northampton Rowing Club, the team focused on extracting trash that had been illegally dumped in the waterway.
The cleanup yielded a significant haul of waste, including two shopping trolleys, a milk churn, several car tyres, an abandoned bicycle, a drill with its charger, and various other refuse. Organizers from the diving school emphasized that removing pollution from the river is an ongoing commitment, with future dives planned for the coming months.
Support for the operation came from the Northampton Canoe and Kayak Club, which loaned two canoes to assist the divers, as well as a ladder to facilitate safe entry and exit from the water. Participants who did not dive were invited to join a litter-picking team along the riverbanks to help collect surface waste.
A spokesperson for Northampton Scuba School praised the effort, stating it was “an amazing day and a brilliant example of what can be achieved through teamwork, support and a shared commitment to our local environment.” They expressed pride in the participants and confirmed that regular dives will now be scheduled throughout the year to address the volume of waste found.
Six hours for this haul seems efficient. Hope they have a plan to catch the fly-tippers next time.
I’ve swum in the Nene before. The debris there is worse than I thought. Glad someone is finally cleaning it up.
Shocking that people still dump car tyres and trolleys in the river. Great job by those divers!