The Big River Watch, the UK and Ireland's sole citizen science survey of river health, is returning.

Tyne Rivers Trust is inviting people to join the event, running from September 6 to 12, which attracted more than 9,000 participants in its debut year.

Participants are asked to download a free app and spend 15 minutes by their local river, responding to survey questions.

These results will be displayed on an interactive dashboard, impacting actions to enhance rivers through on-the-ground efforts and political advocacy.

Dr Ceri Gibson, chief executive officer of Tyne Rivers Trust, said: “Tyne Rivers Trust has been working for 20 years to protect and improve our rivers.

"But we can’t do it alone.

"We know that people care deeply about the River Tyne and its surrounding nature, which is why we’re appealing for people to join in with the national Big River Watch this month."

Tessa Wardley, director of communication and advocacy at The Rivers Trust, said: "Having a large set of data from one weekend will help our experts to understand what’s going on in our rivers, and what needs to be done to make them cleaner, healthier, and part of a thriving wider environment."