A group of Lanarkshire litter pickers were disgusted to find a poor duck at risk of harm due to rubbish carelessly dumped in a river.
The shocking pictures show a bird nesting in the Neilsland Burn in Hamilton next to screeds of litter.
The area, which joins onto the Cadzow Burn in the town, has been known as a hotspot for trash to be strewn around the popular walkway.
But locals are now fed up of the eyesore as they tell of how they are "disgusted" and "sickened" by the mess. And they fear the problem could lead to rats.
Members of Lanarkshire volunteer group Hamilton and Blantyre Litter Pickers are out regularly cleaning up the area, and they are urging residents to be more responsible when discarding their rubbish.
It was Hamilton man John McLean who came across the sad sight of the duck in amongst piles of rubbish.
He was shocked at what he saw and is concerned for the creature's welfare.
He told Lanarkshire Live : "This left me really sad and totally sickened.
"This spot has always been a problem for rubbish but recently has become so bad and the saddest fact is this is local people dumping their rubbish here.
"Since the lockdown, it has gotten much worse which is confusing as it seemed to bring out the best in people but I suppose these people just don't know better.
"I kept an eye on the duck. I was afraid it might get caught up in the rubbish as there's all sorts down there but it finally moved further up the burn which is still pretty bad but not as bad as this place, it's a popular crossing point so it always attracts rubbish."
Fellow litter pickers agreed with the problem, with one calling it "disgusting".
Another told they were "really sad" and that "apparently there's a rat problem also."
This concern was also shared by a volunteer who added: "There will be rats, they have an endless source of food. A sad state of affairs."
Meanwhile a fourth person said: "Humans really disappoint me at times", and other simply remarked: "Pure manky."
One local thought the mess was "disgraceful" and added: "The littering fools will be the first ones to moan to the council about the rats!"
And another said: "That's horrendous!"
It's not the first time an animal has been spotted perched in rubbish in Lanarkshire. Last year a graceful swan had built a nest for itself with dumped items in Strathclyde Park.
Hamilton and Blantyre Litter Pickers are a group of locals who want to tackle the area's litter problems, and are always welcoming new members to join and help by joining their Facebook page.
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