TODAY the War on Litter is training its sights onto a beloved heritage centre, fighting against a wave of litter threatening to overturn their efforts to educate visitors about the past.

The Fourteen Locks Canal Centre in Rogerstone, Newport, sits on top of the Cefn flight, an engineering wonder of the industrial revolution.

One of the most important engineering triumphs of the Monmouthshire canal, the locks follow the contours of the land and are made up of five pairs of locks, one triple set of locks and one single lock.

Support from the Heritage Lottery foundation has restored two pairs of locks, with the centre manned by a dedicated team of staff and volunteers.

(Volunteers get waist deep for the cause at Fourteen Locks)

But even here, the litter scourge is such that the biggest part of the daily routine is taken up by litter picking. Some areas the centre services have up to fifteen years’ worth of litter waiting to be cleared.

Kate Wickens, manager of the Fourteen Locks canal centre, 40, said the centre relies on community volunteers to hold back the tide.

“We hand out litter pickers to anyone who visits too, even if they’re just going for a walk,” said Ms Wickens.

“Most people ask for them now. But generally that’s how we get people involved.

READ MORE: Newport pays £1.6million a year to clean up litter and fly tipping

“Whenever we go out on maintenance jobs we always take litter pickers with us and clean the area too.

“It’s always a big part of the day. There are some areas around here that haven’t been litter picked for 10 or 15 years.

“”I’ve been a manager at the centre for about a year and a half, but I started as a volunteer helping groups of other volunteers – that’s how I got involved.

“I had previously been an area manager and was asked to help out here by running the centre. I do three days a week at the centre and then I volunteer for the other two days.

“My motivation is the community, it’s just such a good cause and a flourishing centre. I think it’s really important.

“Our charity just wants to make sure people use the canals. It’s always so beautiful here.

(Yvonne Forsey with volunteers at Fourteen Locks Canal Centre)

“Our main focus is to work with school to educate people about the heritage and history of the canals.

“It’s just a really big community, and it’s really important to a lot of people.

“Litter is a big problem here. We try to work with Newport City Council to help them anywhere we can. It’s hard to have enough hours in the day really. Litter has just become a normal part of the routine now, which I think is quite sad.

“One big problem area for us is the carpark. We have to clean it every single morning. The council help us with that too, which is a massive help. Working in partnership with agencies like the council and the Wildlife Trust is really important, because we can get so much more done.”

READ MORE: This is why we have launched our War on Litter campaign

Clearing up litter is not just about keeping up appearances either.

According to Keep Wales Tidy’s policy and research manager, Jemma Bere, a good quality environment matters to people and the benefits can have a big impact on our communities, health and well-being and economy.

“After seeing promising signs last year, our latest street cleanliness surveys show that levels of litter have plateaued,” said Ms Bere.

“Litter remains a real and persistent problem for many communities, but it doesn’t have to be this way – all litter is avoidable. Everyone needs to recognise the far-reaching impacts of littering and care for our environment together.”

A Newport City council Pride in Newport hotline has been set up for people to report fly-tippers.

The number is 07973 698582 and any information received is treated in the strictest confidence.

PRACTICAL ADVICE

EVERY war needs its heroes.

This summer, the South Wales Argus will be bringing you stories from litter heroes from across Newport, Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly County Borough and Torfaen.

But YOU can make a difference too.

By making small changes, every single one of us can help tackle the plague of litter sweeping across Wales.

If you want to get involved in litter picking, or set up your own group, Keep Wales Tidy have this simple advice:

“Small actions can make a big difference. So, when you’re out and about, remember to dispose of your litter responsibly – either put it in the bins provided or take it home with you.

“A growing number of people go one step further and carry out a #2minutestreetclean, #2minutebeachclean or just make a point of picking up five items of litter like crisp packets, plastic drinks bottles or cans.

“Anyone looking to dedicate more time to caring for their neighbourhood can sign up to become a Litter Champion. Keep Wales Tidy will provide all the equipment needed to safely carry out more thorough clean-ups.

“Keep Wales Tidy has project officers in every local authority who support community groups to tackle all kinds of environmental improvement projects. They can help with one-off events or support new groups to get going.

“The charity also runs national clean-up campaigns two or three times a year. The next one to take place is the All Wales Beach Clean (14-30 September),which will also be targeting rivers and other watercourses across the country. All the details can be found on the Keep Wales Tidy website.”

You can get in touch with Keep Wales Tidy at info@keepwalestidy.cymru or call 029 2025 6767

Get in touch with the South Wales Argus to tell us about your success stories to be featured in our campaign, to shout about trouble spots or to nominate a local hero.

GET IN TOUCH

Throughout our War on Litter campaign, we want to feature every litter picking hero and volunteer group that we can. As well as your stories, we want your pictures and videos too. If you would like to be featured, or if you want to send us some pictures of problem areas that deserve attention, get in touch by emailing sam.ferguson@gwent-wales.co.uk or joining our dedicated Facebook group – South Wales Argus: War on Litter.