Volunteers work together to clean up Six Mile Water in Ballyclare

The environmental effort saw 10 bags of rubbish and six shopping trollies removed from the river and along its banks in a joint initiative aimed at tackling ongoing litter and fly-tipping issues in the area.

Since 2016 the Trust, working with Ballynure and Antrim Angling Club members, have been carrying out a spring clean of the river and banks on the last Saturday in February each year, and have been trying to have this date set up as a National Rivers Clean-Up Day’. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, this year’s annual clean up event was unable to be staged.

February is an ideal time to carry out clean ups on the river due to die back of undergrowth and is prior to the start of the game fishing season.

This event is one of many ongoing initiatives in the fight against pollution and promotion of habitat improvements of the Six Mile Water.

Encouragingly, following the latest clean up, Jim Gregg of the Trust said: “Having been working on river litter for several years now, it is refreshing to see a noticeable reduction in the amount of litter lifted but much more needs to be done.”

Ballynure Angling Club’s Billy Robinson added: “It’s great to see teamwork in action and I was pleased to see ASDA represented by their Community Outreach Coordinator Emma Cross.

“Hopefully we will see further involvement in some of the future river corridor enhancement works that BAC has planned.”

Speaking on behalf of the County Antrim Countryside Custodians, Katherine McAdam said: “As an environmental awareness group the custodians value the work of Ballynure Angling Club and the Six Mile Water Trust and look forward to being involved in more initiatives in the future that will help to protect our waterways from litter pollution.”

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