Anger at river blighted by weed and dead geese

Jan Howell lives near to the River Witham in the centre of Lincoln

Residents living near to the River Witham in the centre of Lincoln say the watercourse needs to be urgently cleaned up.

A 100-yard long stretch of the river at Stamp End is littered with dead geese, discarded bottles and abandoned pieces of household furniture.

Jan Howell said the area had resembled an "open sewer" for several weeks. She said: "It was once beautiful and a pleasure to come down here and walk along the banks, but now I don't come down here a lot."

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: "We understand the concerns that people may have. However, the River Witham is a naturally slow-flowing river which often leads to a build-up of weed."

The Stamp End stretch of the River Witham is covered in thick weed containing hundreds of items of litter and dead birds

There are several dead geese lying in the weed-covered river.

Local residents have concerns for other wildlife, including swans and ducks that are feeding nearby.

Stef Bishop has been taking photographs of dead birds to "keep a record" of the harm that is being done.

"There is a thick crust of algae and rubbish, this could be toxic and it's undoubtedly an issue for wildlife" he said.

The weed and litter has built up at the Stamp End sluice gates - a large mechanical flood defence that controls the flow of water into Lincoln city centre.

One of several dead geese floating in the weed on the River Witham

There is growing concern across the UK about the health of many rivers, as they come under pressure from climate change and the impacts of pollution.

In a report published in 2024, The Rivers Trust concluded that 83% of England's rivers fell below "good ecological standards", with 23% classed as in poor or bad condition.

On the Stamp End stretch of the River Witham some local residents have raised specific concerns about the amount of littering.

Oasis Whitely said there had been community efforts in the past to clean the area up but the problem persists.

"There is a lot of rubbish, especially empty bottles of alcohol, that are just thrown into the water here, especially at weekends," she said.

Lincoln resident Oasis Whitely says she is concerned about the amount of litter being dumped in the river.

The Environment Agency said the accumulation of duckweed is often associated with slow-flowing rivers.

A spokesperson said: "We anticipate that the wetter weather that we see at this time of year will lead to an improvement over the next few weeks."

However, residents said they will continue to have concerns about the levels of littering and fly-tipping.

Ms Howell believes only a "complete change in behaviour" can fix the issue.

She said: "This all needs to stop. People need to stop throwing stuff in and polluting the river."

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