Sprucing Up Barnes Waterfront, Saturday Aug. 3rd

It's been said before, but there really is no better place to be in the borough on a sunny Saturday morning than at the waterfront in Barnes. The intention had been to complete the painting of a half-finished section of railings, however, due to a shortage of volunteers the decision was made to clean up (and recycle) the hundreds of plastic bottles and cans littering the slipway. Vegetation getting in the way of joggers and walkers was also cut back, a road sign was removed from the river, along with three tins of paint, that were at risk of polluting the Thames.

Red valerian (Centranthus ruber) in all its glory. 

Flourishing riparian plants reveal a semi-natural floodplain. 

The view along the front downstream towards London.

The not so attractive view of the waterfront.

This is where old helium balloons reside. 

The remains of another merry evening.

Used and flushed cotton buds make up a large proportion of the plastic debris. 

Another 'usual suspect'. 

A refreshing drink ends up polluting the Thames. 

Is this local multinational (GSK) truly responsible? 

Plastic disposable lighters are yet another familiar sight. 

Catalogue company pencil no longer needed.

A fun game of tennis. 

The curse of the disposable straw. 

Why not put a 5p deposit on each can?

Little plastic rubbish is benign. 

Tee-time for plastic rubbish?