Mountain of junk hauled from River Ouse at Lewes

Chris runs the South Malling Volunteer Litter Picking group, which is 12 years old this year.

Using a grappling hook fashioned from a piece of metal found in his shed, he and fellow volunteer Daniel Etherington retried nine shopping trolleys, three bikes, one traffic cone and one huge chunk of plastic used to stabilise fencing from the Ouse beneath Willey’s Bridge, which connects Pells and South Malling. The trolleys were in various states of decay, one so rusty it fell apart, another with a pound coin still in its slot, and some still operable.

Various other shopping trolleys and large-scale pieces of rubbish remain in the river in Lewes and along the banks, say the pair, including a motor scooter.

Daniel Said: “Hopefully when the North Street Quarter development starts, further rubbish won’t find its way into the river – indeed, perhaps some will be removed.”