Thames 21 PlasticBlitz clean-up from Kingsmead to the Beech Road Ford. 16 September 2022

Friends of the Wye Conservation Volunteers supported the Thames21 PlasticBlitz, and Chiltern Rangers, by cleaning the back stream from Kingsmead to the Ford at Beech Road. This was prior to, and in preparation for, a planned Chalk Chairs and Cherries River Wye restoration project.

Space in the river was very restricted with room for only three people working side by side and no access from the bank along the 100 metres of river. All the heavy bags of cleared plastic and metal had to be taken back down stream to the start point.

There is a weir near the Ford which we knew about from our pre-task risk assessment, and care was needed to clear it of vegetation to release the flow and reduce the water depth before Julie could be helped up into the shallower water.

All in all a challenging but effective work party and thanks to Eddie, Bill, and Julie who did all the hard work, with Judy and Keith removing the rubbish to the Chiltern Rangers’ skip.