AN UNDERWATER litter pick will be carried out in Otley this weekend to help protect marine biology.

Divers from Guiseley Sub Aqua Club will be searching for rubbish in the depths of the River Wharfe beside Otley bridge on Saturday, October 1.

They will be removing plastics and any other waste from the river and will have a skip standing by ready to be filled. The event is being paid for by the Greggs Foundation with the money charged for plastic bags by the bakery and sandwich chain.

Instructor Rob Higgie said the sub aqua club had put in an application for funding from the foundation and had been given a £500 grant to clear rubbish from the bottom of the river.

"The plastic bags that end up in rivers go into the sea and they cause no end of problems for marine life," he said.

The Guiseley club carried out a underwater litter pick in Otley 12 years ago and filled a skip with the garbage they found.

Rob said the problem was one which affected rivers across the country and he is expecting to fill a skip again on Saturday.

"If you dive into any river it really is shameful what you find down there," he said. "We will find supermarket trollies and baskets and a lot of it will be plastic rubbish," he said.

Around 15 divers are expected to take part in the clear-up from 9am to 1pm, and there will also be people supporting the team on the water's edge.

Rob stressed the level of organisation and support that was needed. He said visibility was expected to be poor and divers would work in pairs.

"When you are working underwater it is not something you can do quickly," he said. "It is not like walking down the street and doing a litter pick in the park."

The British Sub Aqua Club says littler is a growing problem in our seas and on our beaches.

It says: "The disposal of litter at sea, in rivers or on beaches can have a devastating impact – marine life faces a deadly obstacle course of discarded litter, causing the death of thousands of birds, seals and turtles."

The Guiseley Sub Aqua Club is based at Aireborough Leisure Centre and meets from 8pm to 10pm on Wednesdays. Anyone interested is welcome to go along.