A volunteer group dedicated to cleaning the River Wear in Durham has collected more than 50 bags of rubbish during its most recent collection event. The Durham City Riverscape Community, formed shortly before the coronavirus pandemic, conducts monthly litter picks along the river.

Since its formation, the group estimates it has removed tonnes of waste from the river, including a large refrigerator earlier this year. Lead volunteer Graham Hollingwood stated that the group is approaching the milestone of collecting 1,000 bags of litter. He highlighted this figure as evidence of the substantial effort involved in protecting the riverbanks and the significant contributions of the volunteers.

Hollingwood described removing a full-sized fridge freezer from the river as the team's most challenging task to date, but noted that the team successfully managed the operation.

A man is holding on to a fridge while paddling a canoe along the River Wear. The fridge is alongside the canoe and the man is wearing an orange life-jacket over a red coat and a blue helmet.

A litter picker in hi-vis is stood on the banks of the River Wear with Durham Cathedral on the hill behind him. He is smiling and depositing a blue bag of rubbish on a pile near the river railings.