A GWENT pub is battling it out to be the greenest in Wales as it bids to cut its carbon footprint.

Caldicot's Castle Inn is going up against The Turf in Wrexham and The Grove in St David's to try and cut down on the amount of energy they use.

The pub hosted the launch of the Assembly's climate change challenge and will spend the next six months trying to be Wales' most eco-friendly pub.

To mark the launch of the challenge, landlady Judy Gribble held a lightbulb amnesty for her customers, who brought in traditional lightbulbs in exchange for free energy-saving equivalents.

Mrs Gribble, 49, said: “We are doing this because we need to have a better environment for our future generations.

“There’s a great community spirit here, which means collectively we can make a difference and help lower Wales’ carbon footprint.

"It's good for the environment and the regulars thought it was good, they're all asking me what happens next and they're are all interested in what's going on. I'm looking forward to it, I'm always up for a challenge."

A specialist from the Carbon Footprint Trust is set to visit the pub to advise Mrs Gribble on the best ways to make the pub greener, including reducing emissions from the boiler, reducing the carbon footprint of suppliers and encouraging staff to travel to work on bikes.

The pub will also have a water butt installed to collect rain water to water plants in the beer garden.

"The challenge will encourage all of us, from the locals in the pubs to their suppliers and beyond, to do their bit and help reduce our carbon footprint.”

Carbon Trust Wales will measure the pub's energy throughout the challenge to see how it is faring.