Mansfield's Charlotte Henshaw joins the Big Paddle Cleanup

A team of Paddle UK staff and Paralympian gold medal winners Charlotte Henshaw MBE and Emma Wiggs MBE, as well as silver medalist Jack Eyers, all helped in the cleanup.

Paracanoe team members Jonathan Young and Stuart Wood also plucked rubbish from the canal.

Charlotte Henshaw said: "The water is a solace for many people. Lots of people want to be on the water and around the water.

"That's what's so concerning that things we were seeing in there, the pollution and amount of rubbish is potentially going to put off so many people from using the waterways for years to come.

"The sheer volume [of waste] in there and people using it as a dumping ground, a litter bin, is not what we want to see."

Teammate Jack Eyers, who trains with Charlotte at Holme Pierrepont, said:

Jack Eyers said: "We often see crisp packets, bottles and cans, they're the three main things.

"Being in the water, on the water, is the place where I can chill out and keep me grounded.

"I feel devastated when I come across [the junk]. It's really unthoughtful. It's people that don't care.

"We've grown a bit of a disconnect with the water and what it means to us.

"As an athlete who spends most of his time on the water it's my responsibility to raise that message."

The team, along with Paddle UK staff, collected over 20 sacks of rubbish from the canal and towpaths, making the space much cleaner for everyone to use.

Thousands of volunteers have taken part in the Big Paddle Cleanup across the UK to clear our blue spaces of plastic waste and other junk.