ALMOST 50 needles, a bag of drugs and other items were collected in just 15 minutes by a group from under a Newport bridge.

Members of Pride in Pill donned their cleaning gear and went underneath George Street Bridge on the weekend, after receiving a number of complaints of "unacceptable" levels of rubbish.

The group were left feeling "horrified" when they saw the mess.

Chairman Paul Murphy said: "Lots of people told us to go under George Street Bridge to help get rid of the mess.

"I was not expecting to see so much rubbish.

"We have been cleaning up the area for years and what we saw on Saturday was one of the worst scenes we have seen.

"It made me feel very angry."

And project manager Taz Zee added that he felt "taken aback" by the mess.

In 15 minutes, the group collected 47 needles, one bag of drugs, 24 nitrous oxide canisters and two sharps boxes.

Mr Murphy said he is relieved that no-one accidentally stepped on the needles.

"They are very dangerous," he said.

"Anything could have happened to someone who accidentally got pricked by one. Luckily no-one was.

"We were only there for 15 minutes because we had to move on to other places."

He added: "We are going back to the site on Saturday to clear up the rest of the site.

"I hope a council cabinet member will come and help the group clear it all up. If they come they will see just how bad it is."

A spokeswoman for Newport City Council said that councillors "appreciate" the work carried out by groups, such as Pride in Pill.

She said: "Newport City Council members live in Newport and are well aware of how hard the cleansing teams work to keep the city clear of litter.

"And councillors appreciate the work of the many community groups who carry out litter picks across the city.

"Councillors and staff also takes part in numerous community litter picks organised alongside our partners under the One Newport umbrella.

"While the Pride in Pill group operate in their part of the city, alongside Newport City Homes and the council, areas across the city are cleansed on a rota basis.

"From April 2017 to March 2018 the council’s Pride in Newport (PINT) team removed more than 236 tonnes of fly-tipped rubbish, and from April to June this year they have so far removed 54.56 tonnes.

"There is a Pride in Newport hotline number which people can use to report fly tipping which is monitored by council staff. The number is 07973698582."