A shopping trolley, armchair - and even remains of a shed - were found dumped in the River Severn as 35kgs of rubbish were fished out during a clean-up.

Bags of litter were collected along the river at different beauty spots as part of the Big River Clean by Severn Rivers Trust.

Drinks cans, plastic bottles and shopping bags were some of the unsightly items picked up by children and community groups across the week-long event.

The aim was to reduce the amount of rubbish in and around rivers by running numerous litter picks and river cleans along the Severn and its tributaries.

Alice Moore, volunteering officer at Severn Rivers Trust, said: "Rubbish in our waterways can cause serious issues.

"It is not only unsightly, but it can cause problems for wildlife and can break down into harmful microplastics that can be incredibly hard to remove.

"Around 80 per cent of plastic in our oceans originates from rivers making them a priority place to target for rubbish removal.

"Carrying out bank side litter picks and, where possible, removing instream waste ultimately helps reduce the amount of litter entering our waterways and ending up in our oceans."

Twelve clean-ups were carried out in Worcester with people from all walks of life eager to help.

Ms Moore continued: "Primary school children, college groups, canoe clubs, community groups and some committed individuals joined us.

"For some of the cleans we carried out the Preventing Plastic Pollution survey to quantify and categorise the litter found to help identify the main types and sources of litter.

"By far the most popular items collected were drinks cans, plastic bottles and remnants of plastic bags.

"Some of the more obscure items included the remains of a shed, a shopping trolley and an armchair.

"Three of the cleans were done in and around Worcester itself where over 35kg of rubbish was collected and disposed of.

"Carrying out river cleans with communities is part of our day to day work at Severn Rivers Trust and it is a really easy activity for people to get involved with that allows them to act local while contributing to a global issue."

The Big River Clean took place from the September 17 to 25 to contribute towards and celebrate World Clean Up Day and World Rivers Day.

The event, run by Severn Rivers Trust and Unlocking the Severn, was also held in conjunction with Severn Estuary Partnership’s Big Beach Clean and Keep Wales Tidy’s Marine Clean Cymru.

Severn Rivers Trust will be taking part in Worcester City Council’s first Environmental Sustainability Summit this Friday (September 30).