More than 2,000 reports of animals affected by litter in East of England

More than 1,800 reports of animals affected by litter have been made in the East of England over four years.

Figures from the RSPCA found across the country, almost 13,000 calls were received between 2020 and 2023 of animals that were severely injured, trapped or found dead due to displaced litter.

Some of the litter the charity's said to have caused the most problems include old drinks cans, plastic bottles and disposable vapes.

Around 40% of all litter-related calls to the RSPCA last year were about animals that were caught in fishing litter.

Carrie Stones is the RSPCA's anti-litter campaigns manager:

"Wildlife if injured, they'll instinctively hide from predators; if they are injured, they may not be in our eyeline and we may not see them, and unfortunately there will be many issues that will go unseen," she said.

"I think we need to make sure the correct infrastructure is out there.

"If we do not drop our litter, if we take our litter home with us and dispose of it properly, it's not there left in the environment for animals to get caught in, so it is something we as individuals can make sure it does not happen."

How many reports were received in our region?

Essex recorded the most reports relating to litter-related animal issues, with 428 between 2020 and last year.

Here's how our other counties fared:

• Bedfordshire - 94
• Buckinghamshire - 154
• Cambridgeshire - 170
• Hertfordshire - 222
• Lincolnshire - 262
• Norfolk - 290
• Northamptonshire - 130
• Oxfordshire - 99
• Rutland - 7
• Suffolk - 215

Chris Kent is a dog owner in the East - she told us one example of the dangers that discarded litter for animals:

"We've seen a huge load of tin cans that had been burnt or in a bonfire of some description, and they create a huge safety risk for birds and many other smaller animals, let alone our dogs," she said.

"I find it hard to believe that anybody doesn't know what the risks are associated with litter; I think we have a bit of a culture where people think it's someone else's responsibility to clear up after them.

"I do know people that have had dogs get poorly as a result of ingesting the wrong things when they're out and about.

"It might be sickness or diarrhoea and at the very worst, it could be poisoning or death so I would encourage people to take their rubbish home with them."

What's being done to help tackle the problem?

The RSPCA is asking people to get involved in Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean’ between 15th-31st March by removing waste that could endanger animals

Last year, the campaign helped collect more than 400,000 bags of litter with individuals, schools and groups encouraged to take part.

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