A group of Cub Scouts from Watford were out on the Grand Union Canal in Cassiobury Park at the weekend in an effort to protect wildlife along the waterway.

The 1st and 82nd Watford Cubs spent the day helping the Canal & River Trust remove six bags of litter and rubbish from the towpath and put up 13 bird boxes among the trees, to provide new homes for a wide variety of birds and small mammals that live along the canal.

John Highmore, volunteer coordinator at the Canal & River Trust, said: "It’s great that we had the Watford Cubs helping us out on the canal - they’ve really made a difference.  They have done a fantastic job in building the bird boxes and now that they are installed we hope that birds - and maybe other animals, such as dormice - start to use them."

Barbara Guinn, Cub Scout Leader said: "Our Cubs are really enthusiastic about the canals and wildlife and loved being out beside the water at the weekend.

"Looking after the waterways and the animals that live along them is something everyone can do whilst spending some quality time along the canal. Each cub and the Canal & River Trust all earned their Environmental Partnership Award and the cubs also learnt to make bird boxes earning their DIY badge."