Volunteers have been cleaning up the Millwall Docks in east London to stop plastic waste washing out into the Thames and out to sea.

East London Advertiser: Dumped plastics fished out of the Millwall Docks which would have eventually seeped into the Thames and out to sea, destroying marine life. Picture source: Canal & River TrustDumped plastics fished out of the Millwall Docks which would have eventually seeped into the Thames and out to sea, destroying marine life. Picture source: Canal & River Trust (Image: Canal & River Trust)

Pupils from Canary Wharf College were among those who collected litter from the quayside edge such as cans, an old an iron, food wrappers and even a supermarket trolley covered in mussels.

Some also got onboard Poly-Mer, a boat built out of 8,000 plastic bottles, skippered by Paul Brew from City Sailing with an afternoon of ‘plastic fishing’ in South Dock on the isle of Dogs.

The event was organised by the Canal & River Trust charity which looks after Britain’s waterways.

“Litter and plastic waste is high on the agenda,” Ross Fogden from the trust said. “The plastic ends up in the seas and oceans, affecting marine life, so it’s important keeping the water clean.”

East London Advertiser: Young volunteers on a 'plastic fishing' trip cleaning up Millwall Docks. Picture source: Canal & River TrustYoung volunteers on a 'plastic fishing' trip cleaning up Millwall Docks. Picture source: Canal & River Trust (Image: Canal & River Trust)

But the trust, as a charity, has to rely on the public to give up their time to help out. The youngsters from the Canary Wharf school collected eight buckets of litter from the dock, including plastic bags and a builder’s hard hat.

The charity is holding events throughout the year to clean up the waterways and is looking for volunteers to contact the Canal & River Trust online.