Crown Estate 'working with partners to remove dumped trolleys and bikes from river'
The profit-making business, connected to the Royal Family, has responded after criticism during a community clean-up
It's claimed The Crown Estate - which is owned by King Charles - should do more to pick up things like shopping trolleys dumped in rivers.
It's after residents in Bridgwater all came together for a big clean up - saying they're having to do what they feel the estate isn't.
Town council leader Brian Smedley said: "The Crown Estate is one of the biggest profit-making businesses in the country. They can't be making that amount of profit and leave shopping trolleys, bike and debris in those rivers which look atrocious at low tide
"They need to take responsibility to get somebody in to clean it up. I'm frustrated that such a big organisation with such a big responsibility doesn't do the job.
The point about this is you've got to find out who's responsible for doing the job and then blame them and hold them to account. It's not the town council or county council or even Environment Agency, it's the Crown Estate and they need to sort it out."
Money from the Crown Estate helps fund the Royal Family, and they own the riverbed in Bridgwater up to the Blake Bridge. A spokesperson added that 'the Port of Bridgwater has responsibility for waste management / the clearing of debris up to Blake Bridge (in its capacity as the statutory harbour authority)'.
In a statement, the Estate said it is now working with 'stakeholders' to find what they're calling a 'suitable outcome for the community' going forwards as they continue to 'assess the information which has been brought to our attention'.
An update on the recent riverbed community clean up can be found here