A LEADING eco-campaigner says ambitious redevelopment plans for the river Stour could still leave visitors staring at piles of filthy junk.

The recently-published Stourbridge Area Action Plan outlines proposals for new wildlife habitats, footpaths and cycleways along the banks of the river but Rosanne Adams, from Transition Stourbridge, believes more must be done to keep the water free from litter.

Stourbridge MP Margot James has given the action plan, for what she calls Stourbridge's best kept secret, a warm welcome.

Rosanne Adams also supports the scheme but is calling on members of the public to do their bit by not dumping waste in the water and checking household appliances don't cause pollution by being connected to drains which flow into the river .

She said: "It is not surprising that the river Stour is kept secret, the rubbish collected upstream of Stourbridge town centre was full of tyres, bottles and other plastic - a huge collection of modern detritus.

"An interesting display of rubbish ancient and modern can also be seen embedded in the silt, floating in the river or caught like prayer flags in the bushes on the banks almost anywhere you care to look. The area below the Bonded Warehouse is particularly bad.

"The Stourbridge Area Action plan is a great step forward, making a great play for tourists, how will they feel as they walk along the banks of the river to see it full of rubbish?"

Transition Stourbridge volunteers have been regularly removing dozens of bags of waste from the river during clean-up operations over the last 12 months.

The organisation is now aiming to set up groups in Cradley, Halesowen and Lye to monitor and clear the river as it flows from its source in the Clent Hills towards Stourbridge.

Rosanne Adams said: "An enormous amount has happened but there is still lots to do, it is up to everybody in Stourbridge and upstream.

"We have a lovely resource and the Area Action Plan makes the most of it but if we don't look after it there is no point."

For more information on the work of Transition Stourbridge, and how to volunteer, visit www.transitionstourbridge.co.uk