Children collect five bags of rubbish from River Teme bank

A Worcester farmer says his children collected five bags of litter from the River Teme bank as rubbish left near public paths threatens cattle.

Children from a Worcester farming family collected five bags of rubbish from the banks of the River Teme in a single afternoon after repeated littering along public footpaths near their fields.

Tristan Bennett, of Bennett’s farm in Lower Wick, said he is now clearing litter from his land every day, with towels, clothes, sweet wrappers and bottles regularly left behind by people visiting the riverside.

The litter is more than an eyesore, Bennett said. He warned that discarded food packaging can be dangerous for cattle grazing nearby, particularly if animals are drawn to the smell of sugary wrappers.

“Quite often, half eaten sweet packets... and if a cow smells the sweet sugar they’ll try and eat it and then if it’s stuck in the packet, they’ll eat a whole packet, which can then get stuck in their guts and kill a cow,” he said.

Bennett said the problem appeared to have worsened since lockdown, as the riverside became a popular warm-weather spot for local schoolchildren and other visitors. He said he welcomed people enjoying the countryside but was frustrated by the belongings and rubbish left scattered along the riverbank.

During the half-term holidays, Bennett said his children were walking with their grandfather when they found another pile of abandoned items and began clearing it up. His eight-year-old said the family spent about four hours tidying and found towels, plastic bags, alcoholic drinks, socks and shoes.

In an attempt to stop people gathering at the worst-affected spots, Bennett has spread cattle slurry nearby. He said the measure was unpleasant but intended to deter loitering and help keep grazing areas safe for his cows.

The farmer’s account highlights a familiar tension in busy rural beauty spots: public access brings people closer to the countryside, but farmers and landowners can be left managing the consequences when visitors fail to take their rubbish home.