LOUTS are using the River Tone as a “dumping ground” by filling it with shopping trolleys and other junk, the Mayor of Taunton says.

Dedicated Taunton Angling Association (TAA) members walked along the river from Firepool towards Creech Castle this month to assess the state of the waterway before hauling out large quantities of bulky material.

They removed 21 trolleys, adding to the 35 they recovered in a clean-up operation last summer, reported in the County Gazette.

TAA secretary, John Hunt organised the recent clean-up with Trolleywise, a company specialising in removing and recycling abandoned trolleys.

He said: “We were shocked at just how much rubbish there was last year.

“Our original plan was to clear the river from French Weir to Firepool, but there was so much rubbish we only managed a small part of it.

“We just want to clean up the river to make it safe for those who use it, like anglers or canoeists, but also to make it nicer for everyone else.”

The four-man Trolleywise team managed to remove the trolleys, three bikes and other rubbish, showing the river has become a dumping ground.

Taunton Deane Mayor David Durdan, who is also chairman of the Somerset Waterways Development Trust, said: “This is one of the biggest problems we have.

“I think it’s some people’s weird idea of fun to dump a trolley in the river.

“People need to take ownership of it and stop using the River Tone as a dumping ground.

“This is our jewel in the crown, and we need to do what we can to clean it up and make it better for everybody.”