Start a river-lution – Around Ealing

Car tyres, clothes and wet wipes are just some of the items that are frequently thrown into the River Brent, polluting the water and damaging the environment.

Almost 100 tonnes of trash have been removed from the river since a community task force came together to tackle the trash and improve the river’s habitat.

Clean Up the River Brent (CURB) was founded by local resident Ben Morris in 2021 and Ben and his army of volunteers, including groups such as LAGER Can, have worked tirelessly to improve the river, which is around 18 miles long .

“Make the world better”

Ben said: “We are always looking for more volunteers to join us. It’s great to be with a group of people outdoors – to do something good, to make the world a little better and to make something cleaner. He is very upbeat. People really like to get outdoors and get stuck in.”

The group, supported by Ealing Council’s park rangers, organizes various community events such as clean-ups, plantings and more. Although the council is not responsible for keeping the rivers clear of litter, they provide litter bags and bins and pick up and dispose of any litter collected.

The river is home to lots of wildlife including kingfishers, herons, ducks and invertebrates (including insect species).

“Wildlife Corridors”

Ben added: “Our rivers are so important to our landscape; they are wildlife corridors. The way we all choose to live our lives has an impact on rivers and there are things we can all do to look after them, such as not washing wet wipes because they block drains.

“Understanding your home’s drainage system is helpful and think about your water use. Also, anything you might put down the street drain can go straight into the rivers. We all need to think a little more carefully about how we look after these valuable parts of our environment.”

Find out more

If you want to get involved you can find CURB on Facebook (CURB – Clean Up the River Brent) or visit the Brent River Park website. You can also watch CURV on X @brentpollution