Shocking footage of rubbish shows what lurks beneath our canals

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  • Watch: What lurks beneath our canals?

  • The canal and river trust has released footage of rubbish under the canal. Credit: Canal and River Trust

The Canal and River Trust has released shocking footage of rubbish in the canals to raise awareness of the plastic problem in the Midlands.

Over the past five years the charity, which cares for more than 2,000 miles of waterways, has hauled out an unexploded World War 2 hand grenade, a 16ft dead python, antique poison bottles, a Volkswagen Camper Van and a pizza delivery bike complete with a soggy pizza.

For every 78-foot-stretch of waterway, the trust find, on average, 150 plastic bags as well as other litter. These take decades to degrade and can trap fish and other wildlife.

It costs the trust about £1 million each year to clear dumped rubbish, money they say could be spent on improving wildlife habitats and ensuring the waterways are navigable for boaters.