Who dumped all this bread in the River Colne at Marsden – and why?

Residents were bemused to find dozens of loaves and baps in the river in the centre of the village on Monday morning.

The bread included white and brown loaves, some sliced bread and some marked ‘Hovis’.

A villager who spotted it said: “It looked like a delivery to a bakery rather than a supermarket. I think they were there since Monday morning.”

The local, who did not want to be named, told the Examiner that it was unlikely to have been caused by an accident.

“I could have been accidental if they knocked a couple of crates off the wall but I think this is unlikely as there was no sign of crates and I have heard that a similar thing happened in Uppermill.”

Most of the bread has now been removed after a woman wearing wellies went into the river and fished it out on Monday afternoon.

Villagers pointed out on social media that the bread could be considered to be fly-tipping.

One wag said: “Whoever did this didn’t use their loaf.”

Locals in Uppermill – just over seven miles from Marsden – were equally perplexed when a load of teacakes/baps/muffins were dumped over a wall.

A post on the Uppermill community Facebook page on March 26 prompted more than 200 comments about the mystery bread.