A major community clean-up of St. John’s River in Waterford saw volunteers remove a huge amount of illegally dumped rubbish from the waterway on Saturday.

Members of the Friends of St. John’s River, Waterford Marine Search and Rescue and RENEW Enterprises, Johnstown joined forces for the clean-up, working together to improve the river and the surrounding environment.

Having previously cleared rubbish from the section of the river running through the People’s Park, the volunteers turned their attention this time to the stretch from Hardy’s Bridge to John’s Bridge in Johnstown.

Over the course of several hours, the volunteers removed an extraordinary range of items from the river, including more than 30 construction cones, bicycles, prams, shopping trolleys, scooters, car batteries, sink, tyres and the bases of construction railings, along with a considerable amount of other dumped material.

The clean-up highlighted both the continuing problem of illegal dumping and the difference that voluntary community action can make.

Independent Councillor Donal Barry, Waterford City South, who is a member of the Friends of St. John’s River, praised everyone who gave their time to the effort.

“Without volunteers coming together to do this work, I doubt that much of this rubbish would ever have been removed,” Cllr Barry said.

“It was a great example of teamwork, with volunteers working together for the good of the community and the environment.

“I would particularly like to thank the members of Waterford Marine Search and Rescue and RENEW Enterprises. Without their help, this clean-up would not have been possible.

“The lads in RENEW are also doing fantastic work from their premises in Johnstown, and we greatly appreciate their continued support.”

Following several hours of hard work, RENEW provided refreshments for the volunteers, which were warmly welcomed by everyone involved.

Waterford City and County Council subsequently collected and removed the rubbish from the various temporary storage locations used by the volunteers.

The clean-up was another positive example of local organisations combining their resources, experience and voluntary effort to make a practical difference to St. John’s River and the wider Waterford community.