A stunned member of the public stumbled upon a lethal litter of razor blades as schoolchildren took part in a school project nearby. Jason Davey, from Berkshire, was walking on the foreshore when he made the grim discovery and then alerted us.

Our launch ‘Richmond’ made its way to Isleworth, and after an extensive search, sharp-eyed crew Tony Handley and Nathan Dare managed to collect more than 500 blades. The haul was recovered near the pink-coloured, former boating pavilion on Church Street.
Jason Davey used his knowledge of the area to painstakingly retrieve more blades which had been moved by the tide further along the river.

Tony Handley said: “The blades were spread out over some metres of foreshore, and many were already sinking into the mud. We were amazed by the quantity – any one of which could have caused a deep serious injury.

“I couldn’t believe it to be honest,
I looked down and saw all these razor blades. I’ve no idea what
was going through the mind

of whoever did this. At the time a group of schoolchildren were doing some kind of wildlife project there and I had to warn their teacher to keep the kids out of harm’s way.”

Jon Beckett from the PLA said: “We are advising river users and members of the public generally to take extra care when they are near the foreshore of the Thames in this area.

“Although it appears that we’ve collected most of them, some may be hidden in the mud. Because this is a fast flowing tidal river some are no doubt already elsewhere in the river. If anyone finds something as dangerous as this, on or in the river, they should contact the Port of London Authority on 0208 855 0315.”