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River Avon littered with debris following Storm Henk

Charlie Halliday Plastic and debris caught in the trees hanging over the River AvonCharlie Halliday
Wessex Water said it will take their team a fortnight to clear the debris from the water and river banks

Recent heavy rainfall has resulted in miles of debris washing up on the banks of a river.

Wessex Water said Storm Henk "overwhelmed" the sewage systems between Bristol and Bath, causing more debris to be discharged than normal.

Levels of waste accumulated along the River Avon have been likened to that of a "shanty town".

To minimise overflow, the company plans to invest £34m to increase capacity at nearby water recycling centres.

For the second year in a row, debris such as condoms and sanitary towels have appeared along the banks of the river after the flood water had subsided.

Storm overflows have screens to prevent debris making its way to the river, but these are sometimes not enough during heavy rainfall.

Andy Mears standing next to the River Avon in a Wessex Water hi-vis jacket
Wessex Water said a team has been assembled to collect plastic litter from the riverbank

Andy Mears from Wessex Water said: "The rainfall we've had recently has been absolutely exceptional, very unusual, very intense and the whole system was overwhelmed, so more than usual went out and some of the solid things, like wet wipes, were discharged in higher quantities than normal.

"But because it's so exceptional, we've had a boat out on the river to tidy up and collect up all the rubbish.

"On one day, they picked up 50kg of litter from along the river last week."

Charlie Halliday standing next to the River Avon
Mr Halliday said he has been bringing in wet wipes on the end of his fishing line

Fishing instructor Charlie Halliday said the visible rubbish is only "the tip of the iceberg".

"It is absolutely everywhere," he said. "This stunning bit of river looks like a shanty town.

"Teaching young people about fishing and the environment and trying to connect them with the values of the environment is difficult when you're surrounded by rubbish from the sewer.

"I've got friends that fish on the Bristol Channel that are finding the sewage waste on the reefs, so it's the whole entire river course where the problem exists."

A sanitary towel stuck in a branch next to the River Avon
Contaminated debris such as wet wipes and sanitary products have appeared along the river banks

At the moment, Wessex Water spends around £3m a month on improving storm overflow systems.

It said this figure will increase to £7m per month from 2025 onwards.

"We are already improving some overflows upstream of Saltford so that's good news," Mr Mears said.

"But it's a big problem and it's going to take a long time to fully resolve."

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