AN ENVIRONMENTAL charity is calling for people to help stop plastics reaching the ocean in its Citizen Science Investigations (CSI) Plastic Tracker campaign.

Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT), which takes care of rivers and their surroundings across the south west, is launching the plastic and litter-focused scheme during the Keep Britain Tidy Great British Spring Clean.

Simon Browning, Senior Data and Evidence Officer at WRT said: “Everyone is aware of the problem with plastic in our oceans, and the devastating effects it causes.

“With CSI Plastic Tracker, we want to encourage people to learn more about how plastic, litter and other man-made debris gets to the ocean, and help us find out locally where it is entering our water ways.”

The campaign will feed into the charity’s popular Citizen Science Investigations scheme, whereby participants, affectionately known as ‘river detectives’, monitor water quality using test apparatus, as well as noting other changes to the river environment such as litter and plastics.

Volunteers for CSI Plastic Tracker are being asked to focus specifically on taking photographs of a river, stream or tributary of their choice for evidence of plastic and rubbish such as sanitary products or fly-tipping between the initial dates of April 4 to 7.

As wind and rain can carry litter into drains and rivers which transport it to the sea, by finding out where there may be littering issues on rivers across Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, the charity aims to help stop problems at source.

Litter and plastic are not the only threat rivers face and CSI Plastic Trackers can also note issues such as pollution from sewers, soil erosion and road run off at the same time.

Simon added: “Once a volunteer has recorded the details, and if it’s safe to do so, they are free to tidy up the area if they wish and share their before and after pictures too along with shots of upstream and downstream.

“Our review of the data collected will help determine what long-term remedial action may be needed such as organised community clean-ups.

“We want our CSI Plastic Tracker volunteers to help us decide what we do in their communities to ensure their rivers are healthy and plastics and rubbish are limited in, or stopped, getting into them and subsequently the ocean.”

The charity, which is celebrating its 25-year anniversary in 2019, has delivered numerous river cleans and hopes this campaign will provide an alternative means for people unable to attend clean-ups on specific dates to still be involved with tackling the plastics problem.

Anyone becoming a CSI Plastic Tracker can also get involved as a Citizen Scientist too.

To be a CSI Plastic Tracker, register online at www.wrt.org.uk/project/become-a-citizen-scientist/.