RUBBISH lying in the River Severn at Bewdley has disgusted a town councillor who has called it "an absolute disgrace" for the town.

Liz Davies, of Health Concern, said she was appalled by the sight of litter in the river, visible because of the low water levels, while walking along Severnside North and South.

On Sunday, she spotted cartons, plastic bags, bottles and cans and said: "It made you want to go down there and pick it up yourself."

Councillor Davies added: "In my view, people should be ashamed of themselves if they can't walk a few yards to put their rubbish in the bin. There are plenty of them and they are emptied frequently, so there is just no excuse."

She said she was also worried about the impact it would have on the birds in the river, explaining: "There are young ducklings down there. Heaven knows what they are going to ingest."

Speaking at a town council meeting on Monday, Councillor Derek Killingworth said he believed some tourists were to blame, adding: "It is perhaps unfortunate that we are getting certain tourists who like coming here but don't like respecting it.

"They come and have their cans of pop and just throw their cans anywhere."

Andrew Dickens, head of cultural, leisure and commercial services at Wyre Forest District Council, said the responsibility of clearing the rubbish from the river fell on the riparian landowner - the person or organisation that owned the land or property alongside it.

He added, however, as the district council was principally responsible for litter, officers would see if there was a safe way to access the river to remove the rubbish and later recover the costs.

Police are also warning about the dangers of swimming in the river after people were spotted in the water by residents.

A police spokesman said: "During the hot weather people may be tempted to take a swim.

"However, it is important they are aware of fast flowing currents in the water, which can be dangerous."