A week-long dredging of the River Avon in Bath for the first time in 20 years has produced over 100 shopping trolleys and a stolen vehicle from the water.
The work, carried out by the Environment Agency, has been undertaken to reduce the risk of flooding to around 240 properties in the city centre.
On Monday alone, over 120 shopping trolleys were recovered from the murky depths of the river, between the Windsor and Victoria bridges.
A car recovered later in the week which still had its number plates on was reported to police, who confirmed it had been stolen.
The dredging work, which cost around £20,000, coincides with the removal of the Destructor Bridge ready for a residential development in the future.
The work began with divers exploring the river bed and marking objects for removal with plastic floats, before a crane then cleared the debris.
Matthew Symonds, from the Canal & River Trust, said: “Navigation can be tricky along the River Avon and no wonder given the amount of stuff that’s down there.”
An Environment Agency spokesman said: “Large objects such as cars and shopping trolleys can cause serious problems when abandoned in a river.
“They can increase flood risk by disrupting flows and cause a hazard to navigation.”
