Take a look at some of the 'disgusting' items pulled from this Derbyshire river

They were recovered from a 1.5-mile stretch of the River Derwent between the Matlock Bath cable cars and Cromford Bridge as part of the National Spring Beach Clean: Summit to Sea - a campaign spearheaded by Surfers Against Sewage and British Canoeing.

The clean-up locally was led by the Paddle Peak group, a collection of outdoor businesses and organisations who used canoes and kayaks to clear the rubbish.

Event organiser, Pete Astles, owner of Darley Dale firm Peak UK, said: “It’s pretty disgusting what the human race does to the river.

“Trees are full of used sanitary products and wipes that have come out of the sewers in recent high waters.

“The river is a rubbish highway to the sea.

“We need to start to care more about our environment before it’s too late.”

Pete enlisted other organisations from the Dales who are keen to play a role in helping to reduce the amount of pollution in the area’s waterways.

“I’d really like to thank my amazing group of volunteers for helping,” he said.

“A special thanks must go to The Arkwright Society for joining us, and to Willersley Castle Hotel for making the clean up possible.

“Thank you also to Derbyshire Dales District Council for collecting the waste.

“It’s been a great day and very rewarding knowing we’ve cleaned so much waste from our beautiful river.

“Wildlife has been saved and our valley can be enjoyed even more by the people who love it so much.”

Waterways pollution often starts inland and it is estimated a piece of litter dropped in the UK’s longest river - the Severn - upstream could reach the ocean in as little as 44 hours.

The Spring Beach Clean: Summit to Sea campaign, which includes inland waterways and is led by community organisations across the country runs until April 14, and is already Surfers Against Sewage’s biggest campaign - with more than 600 clean up events taking place this month.