A LARGE community clean up took place on Sunday to clear an area of the Sankey Canal after startling pictures showed the level of littering.

The awful pictures, showing three swans among litter in the canal at Blackbrook, emerged last week.

So the Sankey Canal Restoration Society led a clean up on Sunday, February 23 collecting many bags full of rubbish.

The Canal and River Trust, which owns that patch of canal, had already started with the clean up alongside St Helens Council ahead of Sunday.

Jeff Round, a member of the Sankey Canal Restoration Society, 58, from Newton-le-Willows said: "The clean up was extremely successful and 45 people turned up to help collect in excess of 50 bags full of rubbish.

"To be honest we could have collected the same amount again, but a lot of the litter is deep in the water, so we have got in touch with the Canal and River Trust who could potentially clean that up when they dredge the canal of reeds, which they plan to do soon.

St Helens Star:

The picture that started it all, three swans surrounded by litter

"Thank you to all who turned up, I think they had good fun."

"We have three further clean ups on the canal in different places, one near Atlas Street, one near Hulme Lock in Winwick Quay and another on Spike Island by ourselves and other groups if anyone wants to get involved."

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “We are saddened to see that these swans are living in such an environment.

“Many people are unaware of the problems that litter can cause for our wildlife but sadly we see litter-related wildlife deaths or serious injuries all too often. Even something as simple as a plastic bag can cause terrible suffering to an animal if they become trapped by it or if an animal eats it.

“People need to remember that litter can be lethal to all animals - so they must remember to dispose of it correctly.

“On average, the RSPCA’s emergency line receives around 5,000 calls about litter-related incidents each year.

"These incidents are all very preventable if rubbish is disposed of properly and responsibly.

“We would urge people to recycle and reuse as much as possible and if it can no longer be used, it should be put in a bin.”