Clean up River Brent – CURB, together with local volunteers they have removed around 100 tonnes of rubbish from the river. This includes over 500 car tyres, many footballs and children’s balls, quite a few e-bikes to name a few. Thames21 works with them. They also have initiated an invasive species replacement programme, planting hundreds of reed and rush rhizomes. CURB is always looking for extra hands to help at their clear up events.
Upcoming dates
Join CURB in the clear up of the river Brent. They regularly meet up to clear up and plant the river. This is done both on the river banks and in the water.
- Thursday, 26 March 2026: Greenford Bridge Flotsam. From 10 am. Meet just downstream of Greenford Bridge, on the Left Bank of the Brent (near Lidl, but on the opposite side). We will be working on the banks and in the channel, removing flotsam at the fallen trees trap. An old favourite location.
- Friday, 27 March 2026: Mayfield Bridge and area clean up. From 10 am until 1 pm. We will meet on the bridge, and then work along both banks of the Brent, removing rubbish swept down by the Winter floods.
- Saturday, 28 March 2026: Pear Tree park clean-up. From 10 am to 1 pm. As part of the Great British Spring Clean, meet at the Pear Tree Park Bistro for a 10am start. We will be working in the park and along the river banks to remove rubbish, flotsam and jetsam. Great opportunity to visit the lovely new bistro too.
Friendly and purposeful events where you can visible see the results.
Find out more about these events at CURB Facebook group or LAGERCan facebook group who list their upcoming events.
CURB Projects
CURB also reports regularly to Thames Water and the Environment Agency on pollution in the River Brent. They are creating a network of volunteer groups by building connections with other volunteer groups throughout the Brent Catchment. This includes a close partnership with LAGERCan to do volunteer days to clear up the river. Also CURB is trialling a self-started network of water quality sensors with the support of the Environment Agency.
The River Brent flows into the River Thames. The river itself has many tributaries covering seven London boroughs.
Urban pollution of the river Brent
CURB campaigns to prevent discharges into the Brent, an example of which featured on Channel 4’s Dispatches investigation into river pollution on 29 August 2022. CURB wrote this thorough article on Urban Pollution impacts on Ealing’s Rivers that highlights what we can as individuals do. The beauty of the river, broken by the pollution that we are causing are very visible in CURBs activities. CURB also has looked into The Wet Wipe Ban & Crisis: Blocking Our Rivers and will the impeding ban solve the pollution in rivers and seas.
