'Like capturing a gift from a grabbing machine' - Boston man praised for fishing out bikes and knives from river using magnet and hook
A Boston man has been widely praised for helping clear a collection of unsightly and hard-to-reach items from the mud banks of the River Haven in town.
Christiaan Lowe, 53, fished out two bicycles and a pair of large knives from the side of Town Bridge on Thursday (February 13), using a magnet and hook, with a little help from passersby.
The photographer took action after seeing a post on Facebook about items stuck in the mud behind the Assembly Rooms, visible at low tide.
These items – a road sign, a bicycle and a knife – had been reported to public bodies in mid-January, but had yet to be cleared, the author of the post said, expressing concern that the metal in the objects could go on to contaminate the water.
While the non metallic sign remained elusive, Christiaan and his helpers managed to clear two bicycles and a pair of knives from the banks.
An update he posted on the same group received more than 750 ‘likes’ or ‘loves’, a chorus of ‘well done’ messages in the comments, alongside such praise as ‘people like you are stars’.
Speaking to The Standard about the civic-minded effort, Christiaan said he was inspired by the ‘selfless work’ of the Wyberton Wombles litter picking group.
“There was a problem I thought I might be able to help with,” he said. “Yes, I got a bit muddy, but it was fun at the same time – like being in Skegness trying to capture a gift from a grabbing machine, and was free to play.”
The knives, Christiaan said, have gone to Lincolnshire Police. Boston Borough Council, he said, was notified about the bicycles, though at least one – ‘the better-looking one’ – was removed from the area before the authority’s arrival, he added.
Christiaan closed by encouraging people to report such issues so they did not get overlooked, saying he regularly uses the FixMyStreet app over not just dumped rubbish, but other issues such as problems with street lighting and potholes.
In terms of clearing items from the banks of the river, the council said such matters lie with the Environment Agency.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “We carry out work on main rivers and sea defences to reduce the risk and impact of flooding.
“We remove litter and other objects on our land, and we would remove litter from in the river channel itself if it is causing an obstruction and increasing flood risk. However, where it is not causing a flood risk it is the responsibility of the landowner.
“We prioritise our maintenance budget and resources to ensure we reduce the risk of flooding to the maximum possible number of people and properties we can. We would encourage residents to report items that may increase flood risk on to our incident hotline on 0800 807060.”