VOLUNTEERS were shocked when they pulled waste including a bike, scooter, knives and needles from the lake of one of Wirral’s most popular parks.

The litter pick, which lasted for three hours, happened at Central Park in Wallasey, with some of the volunteers wading into the water to pick out the larger items, with others using rakes.

Also among the litter was a skateboard, discarded fishing gear and other 'dangerous' paraphernalia.

Law student Nikki Abernethy was one of those taking part in the event organised by community group Wirral Animal Samaritans on Wednesday.

She said: “The amount of fishing lines and hooks we got out of the lake was horrific. It’s totally unacceptable.

“We only raked less than a quarter of the lake and came away with five bags.”

Nikki, who has been involved with the group for a few months, also described an upsetting incident that happened as a result of the park’s lake being in such a state, as they had to rescue a Canada Goose who had broken her leg. The bird has since been taken to the RSPCA.

She added: “There were seven of us and we were there for three tiresome hours.

“We will be doing them more often as the amount of rubbish we removed was terrible, we were all shocked at what was in there.”

Wirral Globe:

RSPCA inspector Anthony Joynes helping with the effort

She said it came as “no surprise” that wildlife including swans and cygnets have “suffered so much over the summer”, after seeing what came out of the lake.

Nikki added that the group will continue to clear the lake at Central Park before moving onto Birkenhead Park over the coming weeks.

She said: “We had reports of a duck there that had a plastic beer can holder stuck around its neck. Unfortunately our Samaritans tried to rescue it but we couldn’t get to it.

“We fear the worst but hopefully it will be back soon and we can rescue, rehabilitate and release it back into the wild, which is part of what the Wirral Animal Samaritans do.”

Cabinet member for environment, Cllr Matthew Patrick said 'nobody should be having to clean up this type of mess.'

He said: “Our parks staff do what they can to remove litter and other discarded waste from the lake, supported by so many fantastic individuals and groups who volunteer their spare time to make the park safe for wildlife and a pleasant place for everyone to enjoy.

“However, nobody should be having to clean up this type and volume of mess, irresponsibly left by others in a place where it could cause so much damage to wildlife, the environment and people’s enjoyment of the park. Everyone needs to take responsiblity for their own litter and dispose of it properly.”

He said that for the majority of people, the lake in Central Park is a 'well loved area' they treat with 'the respect it deserves.'

He added: “However, clearly there is a minority who just don’t care – their actions in using the lake as somewhere to just dump their waste are totally unacceptable and are having a serious, damaging effect on wildlife and the environment.

“Our park lakes are home to many wild birds that can become trapped by discarded fishing tackle and other forms of litter, often leading to injury and, sadly, death. Fishing line can take up to 600 years to degrade, so once discarded it is a hidden danger to wildlife that persists in the environment for many decades unless it can be retrieved.”