Grand Union Canal becoming increasingly polluted, says towpath user

Something needs to be done about the pollution in the Grand Union Canal , says a regular towpath user.

Gini Moore, who lives in Wembley, cycles three times a week along the canal between Horsenden Hill and Ladbroke Grove, and said she has noticed that since the start of April the water has become increasingly polluted.

She has come across the bodies of ducks, bottles, beer cans, footballs, clothes and wrappers.

On Sunday (April 27) she saw a dead turtle in the water.

Ms Moore, a freelance lecturer and assessor, said she has cycled the route for 18 months and has never seen anything like this before.

She said: “There is something serene and calming about cycling on the towpath.

“I felt that if this appalling site was affecting me then surely it would be affecting the wildlife too.

“I contacted the Canal & River Trust, who I believe that as a charity do a sterling job looking after our canals. I believe they are doing the best that they can but do feel they are fighting a losing battle.

“A week after I reported the pollution I noticed an improvement but there is still much more that needs to be done to make it a healthier environment.”

She added: “I would like to know where the rubbish has gone – has it been removed or has it sunk to the bottom?”

She said there are bins but not at regular intervals and it seems to be where bins are absent that rubbish is going into the canal.

Sam Thomas, Canal & River Trust maintenance manager for London, said: “This stretch of the Grand Union Canal is cleaned on a regular basis but from May 3 our contractors Fountains will be following a new and improved cleaning regime to address seasonal debris.

“The trust is always looking for improvement methods of cleaning the debris from London’s canals and for this stretch of the network we are going to use a different type of craft that will collect the weed and rubbish with a conveyor system.

“This craft will be used to clean the waterways in west London every four weeks. The result will be a much cleaner canal for residents to continue to enjoy.”