RESIDENTS waiting for a pile of fly-tipped rubbish to be cleared from a steep railway embankment opposite their houses might have to wait for another 30 days for relief – despite reporting it just under three weeks ago.

The pile of waste was thrown over the fence separating Albert Terrace from the railway embankment near Newport train station late on Thursday, July 19.

As well as the fly tipped rubbish, shocked residents found household litter scattered all over the street.

Pam Parker, 60, and Robin Rooks, both of Albert Terrace, took it upon themselves to clear up the street rubbish with the help of other neighbours after finding out the council couldn’t make it to them that day.

 

The waste they gathered together was collected on the following Monday by Newport City council’s Streetscene service.

But, despite reporting the fly tipped rubbish on the embankment to Network Rail just under three weeks ago the organisation has now said it could take another 30 days to be collected as it is not considered dangerous.

Mrs Parker explained: “On the Thursday evening someone came down and dumped four bin bags full of rubbish and a great big mirror on the embankment.

“They also threw four carrier bags of rubbish and household waste right outside my neighbours door.

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“There were bottles, tins, magazines, food waste – just lots of usual household stuff really.

“It was all over the road. We phoned the council as soon as we saw it but they couldn’t do anything as it was 4pm by that point.

“So we cleaned it ourselves, but only the household litter on the street. There was lots of glass, so we wanted to pick it up in case some children fell on it playing in the street.

“The council told us to contact Network Rail, so we spoke to them on the Monday, and it was passed on to the department who deal with dangerous items on the railway lines.”

Network Rail confirmed they have sent an inspector to check the rubbish, but also said as they do not considered dangerous the issue has been passed to their maintenance team who will visit the site to remove the rubbish in the next 30 days.

 

A spokesman added: “Network Rail manages thousands of miles of railway across Wales and Borders, so we urge members of the public to contact us if they have concerns about what they have seen on or near the railway. We are aware of the fly-tipping on the approach to Newport station, which has been inspected to confirm it does not pose a risk to the safe running of trains in the area.

“This rubbish will be removed by our maintenance team, but this work must be completed when trains are not running in order to protect the safety of those completing the clean-up.”

“Each year, we remove tonnes of litter from the railway in Wales and Borders. This comes at a significant cost to the taxpayer and could be avoided if people took their rubbish to a bin or nearest recycling centre.”

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.