'Human arm' among 8 tons of items dragged out of water during canal clean-up in Milton Keynes

A realistic-looking female arm was just one on the bizarre items found in a massive canal clean-up operation.
A member of the clean-up crew with the arm found in the canalA member of the clean-up crew with the arm found in the canal
A member of the clean-up crew with the arm found in the canal

The arm dredged out of the water turned out to belong to a shop mannequin.

“The rest of her was never found,” said a spokesman for the clean-up, which was organised by the MK branch of the Inland Waterways Association.

A crew of 76 members and volunteers pulled an incredible eight tons of rubbish out of the canal in MK over two days.

Finds included the usual supermarket trolleys and bikes, a bed, an airbed, several mattresses, garden chairs, traffic cones, timber, a tennis racquet, boots and shoes - and even a kitchen sink.

Strangely, lots of lemons were also found in the water.

The event was registered under the Great British Spring Clean banner.

On the first day a stretch of canal from Fenny Stratford to Giffard Park was tackled. The following day concentrated on the stretch from Giffard Park to Galleon Wharf in Old Wolverton.

A member of the clean-up crew with the arm found in the canalA member of the clean-up crew with the arm found in the canal
A member of the clean-up crew with the arm found in the canal

The volunteers collected rubbish from the towpath and hedges, leaving it at the water’s edge for collection by the hopper crew.

The Parks Trust sent volunteers, while employees from Leica Geosystems AG and John Lewis also took part.

Sonny King from the Canal & River Trust said afterwards: “The combined efforts of everyone make a huge difference to our network. It reflects brilliantly our ambition of making life better by water. A big thank-you to all the volunteers who turned out to help return the waterway to how it ought to look, for the enjoyment of everyone, even those who thoughtlessly dump their rubbish."

The MK canal clean was supported by the Canal & River Trust, which looks after the 2,000 miles of canals and rivers across England and Wales.