A man from Bucks is worried that not enough is being done to prevent a local waterway from being used as a 'dumping ground'. 

Barry Cross, who lives in Bourne End, initially took to the online platform NextDoor to share his discovery of an electric scooter and a shopping trolley that had been dumped in the River Wye near Ryemead Way in High Wycombe.

He wrote: "The River Wye is a chalk stream and very rare worldwide. Unfortunately, it is being used as a dumping ground. If I attempted to drag such items out of the river with a grappling hook and leave them on the grass verge, I would probably be done for fly-tipping by the council.

"Who the hell is going to clear all these items out of our rivers?"

Barry said he had contacted the Environment Agency after finding the dumped items but was told they only remove objects that are causing a blockage or obstruction to riverways.

He also alerted the environmental group Friends of the River Wye and credited them for removing the items when he returned days later to take pictures of the dumped trolly and scooter but found they had been pulled out.

Upon his return, however, he discovered other items dumped further along the stretch of the water, including a large crowd control barrier and what he thought might be a section of an industrial chimney.

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Barry, who described himself as a keen environmentalist, said he believed the government should be injecting more funds into protecting UK rivers, rather than letting the onus fall to volunteers.

"My wife and I are environmental members of the Bourne End and Cookham Rotary Club and I have been clearing rubbish from the river for a two-year period.

"We hold river clean-up events with the help of the Rotary Club and volunteers from my wife's Bourne End litter-picking group LitterBlitz.

"The Chiltern Rangers and Friends of the River Wye also do an excellent job of cleaning rubbish when required."

He added, however, that the admirable community efforts were not enough to tackle the ongoing problem which needed to be addressed at a higher level.

"It is estimated that 80 per cent of all plastics found in oceans originate from rivers worldwide. 

"This river is being used as a dumping ground by those practising the 'Out of sight, out of mind' ideology." 

A representative from Buckinghamshire Council confirmed that the River Wye near Ryemead is the responsibility of Thames 21, the local Rivers Trust organisation.

A Thames21 spokeswoman said: “This statement is inaccurate. Thames21 is an environmental charity that works with communities to improve the River Thames and its tributaries.

"The work that we do is vital to tackle the effects of climate change and we are leaders in finding solutions to the environmental challenges faced by our rivers, whilst also delivering social impacts like improved wellbeing and greater access to blue-green spaces for people to enjoy.

"From Oxford and London to Essex, we improve the climate resilience of the River Thames and its tributaries through educational programmes, river restoration activities, tackling pollution and flood resilience initiatives.”