AN £88,000 high-tech litter collecting device has been installed in the River Darwen.

It is the first time the trap, which has the potential to collect 100 Transit vans worth of rubbish a year, has been installed in England.

Several organisations worked together to help install the trap on the river in Witton Park, Blackburn.

Blackburn MP Jack Straw will officially unveil the device tomorrow, but it is already being hailed a big success.

Since it was installed in May it has collected up lots of rubbish, including 43 tyres that had been illegally dumped in the river.

Before the device was fitted residents in the Tiwwon Park area had been con-cerned about the amount of litter in the river.

Hundreds of volunteers had been regulary staging clear ups along the banks.

Action Darwen Valley, an organisation which aims to improve waterways in the area, tried to find a longer term solution to the regular rubbish collection and came up with litter trap which catches rubbish as it flows downstream It was imported from America.

Sarah Whitman, Action Darwen Valley co-ordinator, said: "The overwhelming response we had helped us to secure funding for the project so we'd like to say a big thank you to all the project's supporters.

"The main message we want to get across is that litter belongs in the bin not in the river."

Funding for the device came from the Peter Moores Foundation and Biffa.

Action Darwen Valley said it was also grateful to the Environment Agency, Uni-ted Utilities, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and the Healthy Waterways Trust for their support.