Video: 'Take your rubbish home' is appeal after award winning Burnley beauty spot blighted by litter louts

Hundreds of discarded empty beer cans, drinks bottles and food wrapping has left the area known as the Burnley Embankment, above the town centre, an unsightly mess.

Several bin bags full of rubbish have also been thrown onto the land.

The grassy areas affected lead up to the embankment on the Leeds Liverpool Canal on the stretch known as Straight Mile opposite Burnley bus station. The structure was chosen as one of the original 'Seven Wonders of the Waterways' and has also been awarded a Red Wheel by the Transport Trust.

Keen to clear up the area, volunteers from the Canal and River Trust will tackle the litter this weekend, even though it has not yet been established who owns the land.

A spokesman for the trust said: “We face a constant challenge keeping our canals and river navigations litter-free and in good condition especially at this time of year.

"Sometimes litter and debris which is not on the Trust’s land gathers and looks unsightly and ends up in the water.

"Our operational team and volunteers remove tonnes of material from the Leeds Liverpool Canal every year which is particularly challenging in the winter months.

"As a charity, it is really upsetting to see litter and debris in the canal after recent surveys show that more people than ever are using towpaths as part of their daily exercise."

Volunteers will be out working with trust colleagues as part of the 'Towpath Taskforce' which starts this Sunday (February 6th) to start the clean-up on the Straight Mile.

The spokesman added: " It would be much better if the litter wasn’t there in the first place. We appeal to the public – take litter home. Don’t leave plastic bottles, glass, cans, and old tyres on the bank or throw them into the water."

If you would like to volunteer to help cleaning up the Leeds Liverpool Canal, please contact local Canal and River Trust volunteer leader Nick Turner by email at [email protected].