Two shopping trolleys, a milk churn, tyres, an old bike and even a drill and charger still in its box were among a huge haul of rubbish pulled from the River Nene during a major clean-up in Northampton.

Divers from Northampton Scuba School joined forces with other local organisations for the six-hour operation on Saturday, September 19.

The school organised the clean-up alongside Northampton Active and Northampton Rowing Club, with volunteers taking to the water and surrounding riverbanks to remove as much rubbish as possible.

Teams rotated between scuba diving, canoeing, providing surface support and litter picking during the operation.

Scuba divers clean up the River Nene in Northampton

placeholder image — Scuba divers clean up the River Nene in Northampton

And it did not take long before some surprising discoveries began emerging from beneath the water.

Divers recovered two very old shopping trolleys, numerous tyres, a milk churn, an old bike and a drill and charger which was still in its box, alongside a wide range of other discarded rubbish.

Meanwhile, volunteers working on dry land collected litter from the riverbank and surrounding area.

By the end of approximately six hours, a substantial amount of waste had been removed from the River Nene.

But the scale of the haul has also highlighted how much work remains to be done.

Northampton Scuba School is already planning to return to the river in the coming months and has committed to holding regular clean-up dives throughout the year.

The operation was also supported by Northampton Canoe & Kayak Club, Waterside Café and Globus, while Northampton Active provided two canoes used to support the divers.

Northampton Scuba School said: “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.