I FELT very sorry for the residents living near the former railway land of Garthalan Drive when I read and saw the pictures in the February 26 edition of the South Wales Argus. According to residents this once-beautiful area is now an environmental disaster.

Though I really appreciate that a number of politicians have shown sympathy, including an MP who visited the area and there is a hope that the local authority will soon take some concrete steps to ease the situation, I was quite surprised that there is no indication that residents have formed a volunteer action group where they can get their hands dirty and get the area tidy themselves instead of, what could be, a long wait for council or politicians to address the issue.

Team work by local residents will not only help the environment, but also build a strong bond within the community and send the strongest possible warning to fly-tippers. As a member of Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, we are already assisting a dozen local charities and organisations, so we would love to assist the local residents of this area too.

Let’s arrange a short meeting and a clean-up session and make a resolution for our next generation, that if another disaster such as flood or a snow storm hits, we will not wait for our local authority or politicians to come out and help. Please contact us on 01633 508308 or info.newport@ahmadiyyauk.org

S. Baqi, Ahmadiyya Muslim Association