The River Yare has been the subject of many landscape paintings by the early 19th century Norwich School of artists. There are examples in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, an oil by John Crome “Moonlight on the Yare”, and by Joseph Stannard depicting the river in Thorpe Water Frolic, Afternoon (1824) and Boats on the Yare near Bramerton (1828) is in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

The area is particularly attractive though not an area of outstanding natural beauty protected in law. A considerable length of the Yare is navigable by sailing and motor craft and it is one of the major navigable areas of the Norfolk Broads. Sadly, pollution is a problem and there have been many issues of environmental concern regarding over-population by pleasurecraft and environmental pollutant ruin-off from agricultural land. We must now add dumping of clinical wastes!

A correspondent to the Official Norfolk Broads Forum comments on observations of syringes, colostomy bags and dirty bandages along the banks of the Yare only a few yards from the spot where children paddle and their parents fish in the summertime. Now, they report a bulging yellow clinical waste sack clearly labelled ‘Property of Norfolk and Waveney NHS Partnership Mental Health Trust’ @Clinical Waste For Incineration Only’.

Who knows how it got into the river? Perhaps a Trust property sits adjacent to the river, or it fell from a contractor’s vehicle. It is equally possible that it originated from the Trust’s obligation to domiciliary care, and noted by a Trust representative who responded quickly on the Forum, and promised speedy retrieval for safe disposal.

Hopefully, someone will look inside the bag to asses its content. It is not unknown for staff to pilfer waste sacks from heathcare establishments. Indeed, looking around the streets close to many hospitals and GP surgeries will identify yellow and orange sacks used for domestic wastes. Presented for collection as is, or sometimes turned inside out to obscure their markings, these bags are generally left by roundsmen and can sit on the pavement for several days before disappearing, presumably rebagged into black.

It is good to see the Trust responding quickly and positively to a report like this one; hopefully their actions were as positive as their words.