A trolley good clean-up on the Gala Water

Last week nine Gala Waterways Group volunteers removed rubbish from 240 metres of the bed and banks of the Gala Water near the Gala Water Retail Park and at Galafoot Lane.

Most of it was iron pipes and bars, but included were the remains of a gas water-heater and a large sheet of sterling board. A total of 53kg of bagged rubbish was collected. One volunteer recovered a hoard of four old shopping trolleys (pictured with three of them) from a bend in the water near Galafoot Lane.

The organiser of the clean-ups, Alastair Lings, said: “Our work parties are improving the Gala Water, but, sadly, supermarket trolleys are still regularly being dumped in the river. Most retailers in Galashiels take their environmental responsibilities seriously and it would be helpful if trolleys were not abandoned near or in our lovely river.”

The group’s chairperson, Claire Howden, added: “We are very grateful to our volunteers and to the River Tweed Commission for their hard work, to landowners for access and to Scottish Borders Council for uplifting the rubbish.”

Work parties are taking place on Wednesday evenings (6-8pm) and Saturday mornings (10am-noon) for the foreseeable future. For more information, contact Alastair Lings on 07763 850087 or email [email protected]