Hammersmith riverside is one of a number of "grot spots" being cleaned up as part of this month's Clean for the Queen events.

Waterways charity Thames21 will be leading the way in Queen Caroline Draw Dock on Saturday (March 5) and Sunday (March 6) as part of the Clean for the Queen special clean-up weekend championed by Mayor of London, Boris Johnson .

Thames21's senior campaign manager, Chris Coode, said that the event forms part of a wider campaign to understand what kinds of litter are getting into the Thames and how to stop it.

Mr Coode said: "When people think of London, they think of the Thames.

"It's about getting people to come down to see Hammersmith Bridge in all its glory.

"It's beautiful - and nobody wants litter to ruin that."

Hammersmith lies on a stretch of the Thames that is prone to frequent build-ups of refuse at low tide.

But Hammersmith riverside is also the victim of an annual 300,000 tonnes of untreated sewage from local overspills.

Construction for London's major sewer upgrade, Tideway Tunnel, is not due to begin until later this year.

Thames21 fears that the problem has been growing with the rise of domestic waste.

Mr Coode, who helps organise around 800 events a year, added: "We've definitely noticed an increase in the amounts of plastic bottles and similar objects in the past few years."

Another clean-up at Hammersmith Bridge later in the month will mark the start of Thames21's Big Count Campaign, which aims to start monitoring the types of litter found and to track down some of the key sources of the waste.

Volunteers wishing to take part can meet at Queen Caroline Draw Dock on Mar 19 at 2pm, where refuse materials will be provided by the charity in a bid to keep the riverbank a highlight of the capital.