Volunteers with some of the rubbish, including watering cans

Volunteer litter pickers pulled a couple of watering cans, along with more mundane rubbish, from the shores of three Cumbrian lakes.

The clean-up involved 30 dedicated volunteers who endured pouring rain to collect 80 bags of rubbish from the banks of Rydal Water, Grasmere and Elterwater on Saturday.

Members of organisers the Friends of the Lake District were joined by volunteers from the Lake District national park, the National Trust and staff from Lakelovers Cottages and Windermere Reflections project.

Helpers on foot and in canoes collected rubbish including plastic bottles, drink cans, crisp packets, dog-poo bags and plastic bags of every description, plus a couple of plastic watering cans, tennis balls and pike fishing lures.

Jack Ellerby, policy officer at Friends of the Lake District, said: “I am truly amazed how much we collected. It’s wonderful we cleared up so much but I’m saddened people discard so much rubbish.

“Most litter was gathered around the lake shores and the canoeists were able to collect it from hard-to-reach places. Not all rubbish is deliberately dropped, but each piece adds to the litter and if we don’t take responsibility to pick it up it just builds and builds.

“We hope that by taking action with days like this, and our larger volunteer Fell Care Days, will inspire more people to clean up their own areas. Every little helps and collectively we can make a difference.”

Bill Bryson: 'Litter is out of order'. Photo: Anne Purkiss

Writer and Friends of the Lake District patron Bill Bryson supported the litter picking day. He said: “Litter in a National Park is just, well, completely out of order.

“Congratulations to Friends of the Lake District and their army of volunteers in giving up their weekend time to clean up this beautiful place. We need more public spirited local actions like this if we are ever going to tackle litter pollution in our countryside.”