VOLUNTEERS from the River Worth Friends regularly clear dumped debris from the water course through Keighley.

But the river conservation group has completed one of its more unusual tasks.

Members have recovered what was believed to be the complete equipment from a cannabis farm.

It had been fly-tipped into the river from Low Mill Lane bridge.

The haul included storage containers, junction boxes, controllers and hundreds of pots.

Sue Patchett, for the River Worth Friends, said: "It was certainly amongst our more unusual finds.

"Any plastic that enters the river will stay in the environment, slowly migrating downstream over hundreds of years.

"We felt it was important that this was removed.

"Access to the dumped gear was difficult, but thankfully a business granted us permission to enter the river from its site.

"Ordinarily what we remove from the river goes to landfill, however we were keen to get any useful items recycled and they’ve been allocated to community projects and allotment groups."

The River Worth Friends, who have been shortlisted for the Climate Change Champion of the Year accolade at this year's Keighley Community Awards, stage river clean-ups every week. To get involved, visit riverworthfriends.org.uk or Facebook.com/RiverWorthFriends or email riverworthfriends@gmail.com.