Tesco helped a group clear up a dirty river - and now it wants to give more cash to other projects.

The Watford superstore is part of Tesco's Bags for Help community funding programme, which sees the money raised by the sale of carrier bags used to fund thousands of projects.

Watford in the Water, a community-led scheme who used their £12,000 grant to clean up the area surrounding the stretch of the River Colne which runs through the Watford Riverwell site.

The river and the surrounding area has been exposed to years of intensive industrial use and waste tipping.

Watford in the Water was launched with a view to understand and reduce pollution, monitor and remove invasive species and improve water quality.

The project involved establishing regular river clearance events, where volunteers gathered to clear litter and debris from the river and its surrounding areas. Tyres and plastic bottles were among the items pulled out of the river.

Sandy Belloni, director community connection projects at Colne Valley Park CIC said: “We started this scheme aiming to improve the water environment and raise awareness of the shocking amount of litter surrounding the River Colne.

“The funding from Tesco meant that we could begin our work improving waterbodies to create healthier river corridors, which can support a wide variety of wildlife species. The linked habitats provide homes to thriving wildlife populations, which are now more able to move freely and safely.

“With the help of Tesco and volunteers, we’ve already been able to improve the river’s amenity value, whilst also removing thousands of plastic bottles, cans and other polluting items. We hope the project inspires people to think twice before littering, and understand how important rivers are for our environment.”

Keith Jackson, Tesco’s Bags of Help manager added: “The Watford in the Water project is an excellent example of the local community coming together to benefit the environment, and we’re proud to have played a small part in this fantastic work.

“Now we’re looking for other groups and charities that could benefit from funding to apply.”

Since launching in 2015, Bags of Help has provided more than 18,000 community projects with over £60 million of funding.

Tesco customers get the chance to vote for three different groups every time they shop using the blue token given to them at checkouts. Every other month, when votes are collected, three groups in each of Tesco’s regions will be awarded funding of between £1,000 and £4,000.

Bags of Help funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities. Anyone can nominate a project and organisations can apply online. To find out more visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp