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  The problem of rubbish is endemic. The British are quite simply a dirty people who are accustomed to dropping their detritus wherever they happen to be. I hear it all the time from tourists and visitors. Not for us the squeaky clean streets of Holland or Japan. The present generation are a lost cause, possibly schools could drum the "bin it" ethos into their pupils and future inhabitants might see an improvement in succeeding generations. However, we need a solution for today.
  
  It is sad that the river is in this state so one wonders what practical steps can be taken given that any idea of the council employing River Wardens can be ruled out. The EA, WCCP, etc, cannot be expected to deal with this perpetual problem of weed and rubbish. The estimable volunteers who turn up once a month and clear little stretches are to be heartily commended but the stuff needs clearing daily along as much of the length as possible.
  
  What is the best way of getting rid of the vegetation? Are we allowed to or would the EA say it is performing some sort of environmental benefit? Would I be right in saying that if all this weed were gone then there would be nothing to trap the rubbish and it would flow down to the trap near the Bubbles, with any residual items lodging against the banks being available for collection manually?
  
  Would some sort of floating shallow draft mower be the answer, chopping the weed into tiny particles to be carried away downstream and away to the sea? I am thinking along the lines of something resembling a radio controlled miniature Mississippi river boat with the stern wheel composed of rapidly rotating lawn mower blades dessicating the weed into something resembling mint sauce. Or possibly a catamaran with an underwater jet sucking the weed through a macerator. I don't think it beyond the realm of possibility that I have the necessary skills to construct such a beast.
  
  I know it sounds like fantasy but I have a reason for asking as my relatives have just moved into a riverside property and the river is covered in weed and rubbish, plus a rat appeared to greet them on their first day! Perhaps Croc could supply some answers, although I know that he is war weary and has heard it all before.

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