CONES, cups, cans and even coins were pulled out of Tavistock Canal last Sunday, during a DIY clean by volunteers.
The clean-up operation was a great success, according to Mark Samson-Hill, who organised the event after reading about the sorry state of the canal in an article in the Times last month.
He said: 'It was a really good turnout — it really restores your faith in humanity.'
Mr Samson-Hill said an 'unbelieveable' amount of rubbish was pulled from the canal and piled into a skip, provided by Roger Sparling, including beer bottles, an old sluice gate, bits of scaffolding and a shopping trolley.
Mr Samson-Hill thanked everyone for their help and said a further section of the canal would be tackled in a few weeks' time, towards the Monksmead section of the waterway.