Dangerous 'fake land' at Doncaster beauty spot cleared for free after £40,000 cost row

Members of the Don Gorge Community Group had called for urgent action over the mass of weeds on the River Don at Sprotbrough Lock, fearing the patch of lush greenery could be mistaken as land and walked on by unsuspecting members of the public.

But the Canal and River Trust said that while it understood concerns about the ‘eyesore’ it dud not have the resources to remove the weeds – and quoted the cost of job at £39,000.

However, determined volunteers were not to be deterred and have now cleared the unsightly debris – and not spent a penny.

Debris - which consisted of trees and rubbish - had become lodged in the boom – the floating barrier which prevents objects from going over the weir.

As a consequence, the invasive aquatic weed, floating pennywort had become attached and spread rapidly, causing a large mass to form on the river.

Added to this were the plastic bottles, tyres, pallets and gas cylinders discarded in the river which became entangled in the mass, creating a very unpleasant sight in what is considered to be a scenic beauty spot.

A spokesman for the Don Gorge Community Group said: “The Canal and River Trust’s response was that they are unable to clear every site when problems such as this arise.

"Specialist contractors would cost in the region of £39,500 to remove and dispose of the waste and access would also be an issue – a project which they were unable to undertake without external funding.

“Consequently, from September onwards, members of the DGCG began clearing the debris with the assistance of a volunteer canoeist."

Using grappling hooks and extendable poles with grippers, the waste was hauled to the side of the river bank and after a combined total of 160 man hours, most of the debris

was removed.

Following prolonged heavy rain in November, the remaining mass was washed away by swollen river levels.

The spokesman added: “The issue at the boom will persist, as objects continue to become entangled in the barrier over time however, for now we have a success story – a river clear of mess at zero cost to anyone!”

Last year, a spokesman for CART said: "It is an eyesore. Sadly, this issue is not isolated to the boom above Sprotborough Falls and despite the Trust spending £1million every year on litter removal, we are simply unable to clear every site when problems arise.

"The Trust is a charity with 2,000 miles of waterway and thousands of structures such as locks, bridges and weirs. We must carefully allocate budget as we simply do not have enough funding to resolve every issue as quickly as we, and others, would like to see.

Local fishing groups first raised the issue of the weeds at Sprotbrough Lock in June last year and the Don Gorge Community Group, which helps care for the area alongside the River Don at Warmsworth and Sprotbrough joined the calls to remove the debris.