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RNLI Dart organise River Dart clean up

Lifeboats News Release

Haydn Glanvill, Paramedic on the RNLI Dart lifeboat, persuaded 17 of his fellow volunteers on the lifeboat crew, the Dartmouth Harbour Authority, and the Dartmouth Coastguard SAR team to join him in a “River Clean Up” on Saturday 16 September.

The individual RNLI volunteers emptied their bags of collected rubbish onto a RIB to be taken away.

RNLI/Riki Bannister

The RNLI volunteers collected the rubbish from the shore line of the Dart at low tide.
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The items collected varied in size from an eight foot pontoon to the inevitable plastic bags, non-degradable mooring lines and nylon fishing lines and nets. There was even a mislaid duvet and pillow.
RCG Builders Merchants provided the gloves, collecting bags and larger dumpy bags, whilst the Harbour Authority RIBs collected the waste from the five shore teams and took it to the mid river waste collection barge. A midi skip, donated by Dartmouth Midi Skips, was filled to overflowing after the shore teams has scoured the river shore lines from the Anchor Stone near Dittisham down to the Higher Ferry.
Unbeknown to the RNLI Dart organisers this Saturday was also during the week chosen by the Marine Conservation Society to arrange Beach Cleans at Torquay, Brixham, Slapton, Kingsbridge, Salcombe as well as at Dawlish and Exmouth.
The RNLI team plan to hold similar “River Clean Ups” in the future.
RNLI volunteers and Dart Harbour Authority staff posed outside the Dart lifeboat station before the Dart River Clean Up.

RNLI/Dr John Fenton

RNLI volunteers and Dart Harbour Authority staff are prepared for the River Dart Clean Up.
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Plastic bags and ropes, and old fishing net and tyres were some of the items filling the skip during the River Dart Clean Up

RNLI/Dr John Fenton

Dart Harbour Authority staff filled a skip with the collected rubbish from the Dart River Clean Up
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Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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About the author

Dr John Fenton
Lifeboat Press Officer, Dart Lifeboat Station

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