NEWLY hatched ducklings are making their first forays around Shaftesbury Lake under the protective wing of their mother.

But what should be an idyllic image is tainted by the rubbish that adorns the surface of the lake - just weeks after it was dredged and landscaped.

As the raft of ducklings followed their mother around the lake to explore their new home, they encountered a football, a plastic bag, discarded cans and, of course, the obligatory shopping trolley.

Secretary of Shaftesbury Angling Club, Graham Cherry, said: "We are continually battling against the tides of rubbish that are thrown into the lake.

"It is something that we have always had to put up with, but it does seem such a shame after we as a club have spent £30,000 on improving the area.

"Every year it is the same, and surprisingly one of the worst offenders are the people who feed the ducks at the lake. When the bag is empty, they just throw it down and leave.

"School holidays are the worst, because kids tend to congregate around the lake.

"We clear out the lake once a week, but sometimes it's like fighting a losing battle."

He explained the club has more than 50 junior members and is keen to recruit more.

"We never turn away junior members, it is important for the future of the sport. If youngsters get into angling, it takes them off the streets and they are more likely to treat their environment with more respect."

Dredging and landscaping work on Shaftesbury Lake, near Park South, Swindon, began last October.

Since it was last dredged in 1967, more than a metre of silt had built up threatening to turn the lake into a marsh.

Half of the £80,000 has been funded by the Environment Agency, £20,000 from Swindon Borough Council, and a further £20,000 from the Swindon Fisheries Management Group.

Work includes creating a path around the lake, clearing vegetation, creating fishing platforms for disabled anglers and building bridges at either end of the waterway.

New stocks of coarse fish, such as bream, roach and rudd are set to be put into the lake in September.