A stunning photo of horses at Port Meadow is a reminder that the animals are being endangered by the dumping of litter.

Glen Harfield took the striking shot for the Oxford Mail Club in 2018.

At the weekend one horse at the meadow in north Oxford cut open its hoof on broken glass.

And a cow suffered an intestinal blockage believed to be caused by eating litter.

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This follow an anti-littering campaign called Don’t Feed The Animals, launched by Oxford City Council to highlight the danger of litter for pets, livestock and wildlife.

As the weather warms up and restrictions on outdoor gatherings ease, the council anticipates a bigger problem with rubbish in the city’s parks and green spaces.

Litter at Port Meadow

Litter at Port Meadow

It is urging everyone to do their bit to keep places safe and clean.

Julian Cooper, Oxford Direct Services Port Meadow ranger, said earlier: "It is heartbreaking when we see animals suffering because of people’s carelessness.

"ODS has regular litter collections, but it only takes a moment for an animal to eat litter or step on glass or metal left behind.

"Ultimately it is up to all of us to clean up after ourselves so we do not see any more harm.

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"In the warm weather last summer we were collecting three tons of rubbish a day at Port Meadow – our teams cannot keep up with that rate of littering

"However tempting it is to rush on to the next thing, just think about the harm you might cause by leaving rubbish behind. Bag it, bin it or take it home."

At the same time, a bid to transform Port Meadow into Oxford’s very own beautiful bathing beach has been launched.

Bathers stage a protest at Port Meadow in 2020

The open space could become one of the first areas of the UK where a river is granted bathing water quality status, something usually reserved for coastal areas.

While people currently swim in the Thames at Port Meadow, the Oxford Rivers Project has warned there are harmful bacteria in the water at the moment, thought to be caused by raw sewage flowing into the river.

The city council, which is part of the river project alongside Thames Water, the Rivers Trust and Thames21, is now planning to bid to the Government for the special water status.

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If successful, it will mean there could be extra legal protection stopping sewage from being dumped into the river.

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