A dead dog was allowed to fester in the Wandle for almost three weeks - despite angry calls from river users.

The animal was eventually taken from the river on Tuesday by the Blue Cross animal charity after a request by landowners Merton Council.

Angler David Roberts, from Carshalton, was in the area in February when he spotted the dead animal caught up in branches at a point near Merton High Street in Colliers Wood.

He said he called a number of agencies and organisations - including Merton Council, Thames Water and the RSPCA - and asked them to remove the dog.

But he was shocked to see last Friday the labrador-sized dog had still not been touched.

He said: “I pay my fishing licence for the Wandle to be kept clean.”

A council spokeswoman claimed the authority first heard about the dog on March 2. She said it was the authority’s responsibility to remove the dog as it was the landowner of the relevant part of the river - but did not explain why it had taken so long to do so. She said the council would be reviewing how to deal with such situations should they arise again in the future.

Theo Pike, chairman of the Wandle Trust - a voluntary group that helps maintain the river - said the issue of who removed objects from the water was a “grey area”.

Mr Pike said uncertainty over who was responsible could lead to problems when pollution was reported. He said: “In the long term it would be good to think the Wandle Trust could look after things like this, but at present we only have one full time employee - the rest is done by volunteers.”