A HEDGE trimmer and a wheelchair were among bizarre items found dumped on the banks of the River Alyn.

Other items discovered during a clean-up included a vacuum cleaner, a microwave, traffic cones, a children’s pram, an office chair, bicycles and tyres.

The tidy up of the river banks at the Singrett Brook between Nant y Gaer Road, Llay and the B5102 in Llay was organised by the Environment Agency Wales as a gesture of goodwill to the community.

The Environment Agency does not have a duty to maintain the land around the river but decided to undertake the clean-up as part of work to get rid of industrial pollution in the river from Llay Industrial Estate.

The litter-pick was led by Keep Wales Tidy along with the Probation Service and volunteers.

Environment Agency Wales environment officer Chiara Caserotti said: “It’s just amazing to see what people dump at the side of the river.

“People just don’t seem to care and throw it there rather than properly disposing of it.

“They don’t think about the public expenditure of picking it up.

“Vandalism, litter and fly-tipping continues to be rife in the area, and at this time of year the vegetation is very low so all is visible.”

Among other items the volunteers picked up rubbish including cans and crisp bags and Chiara said they found three pairs of shoes.

“We hope that this tidy up will help deter future incidents of fly-tipping,” Chiara said.

“There are civic amenity sites in Wrexham to dispose of waste.

“Used electricals also need to be disposed properly because hazardous parts need to be removed.”

Fly Tipping Action Wales provided a skip for the safe disposal of litter and other unwanted items.

Anthony Randles, of Fly Tipping Action Wales, said: “We’re proud to be involved in this clean-up operation.

“It’s so important that this area remains waste free after this operation.

“We would encourage householders to ask any person removing their household waste where their waste is going, and wherever possible to use a licensed registered waste carrier.”

You can help your environment by reporting any incidents of pollution or illegal tipping of waste to the Environment Agency, via its 24 hour free phone number 0800 80 70 60. The hotline operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.