THERE have been reports of extreme fly-tipping in the Ringland area - with a man who started cleaning up the mess finding the remains of what appears to be a dog.

Recently there have been social media reports of fly-tipping happening in woodland near Sterndale Bennett Road in the Ringland area of Newport.

Residents say some of the rubbish piles have been there for months.

The problem got so bad that Lukasz Plonka started to clean up the areas surrounding his house in Ringland on his days off work.

But he was disgusted to find the badly decomposed dog remains hidden inside a bag as he cleared the area on Sunday, June 2.

South Wales Argus:

(Decomposed dog remains found in one of the rubbish bags)

He said: “A couple of weeks ago I started to take a bag and grabbers when walking with my dog and would collect any rubbish that I happened to see.

“One day I walked down this pathway by Sterndale Bennett Road and was shocked by the number of black bags full of rubbish in the bushes."

Mr Plonka believes that until people stop throwing their rubbish everywhere on the streets the issue will never be solved.

He added: “The community needs to come together.

“It’s important to feel proud of your area and if more people are involved, there is more pressure on others to keep the area clean.

“Unfortunately, there will be people who don’t care and will continue to throw their rubbish on the streets.

“They should be penalised for it!”

South Wales Argus: South Wales Argus:

(Rubbish that was collected from fly-tipping in the area)

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Mr Plonka’s wife, Kamila Jarczak, believes children should participate in cleaning up the Ringland area.

“It’s important to educate people about the environment and it starts with schools, in education.”

Laura Lacey, Ringland Councillor said: “The issue of fly-tipping and general throwing of small amounts of rubbish on the floor is a problem across Newport and the UK.

“Ringland has a fantastic woodland full of wildlife and endangered plants such as the bluebells, as well as lots of green space.

“As a community we need to protect these areas and keep them clean as no one else will do it for us.

“Community litter picks and members of the community who take it upon themselves to clean up the area should be commended for their efforts.

“But we need to educate people into not throwing it down in the first place.

“This is the only way to protect the local environment, and everyone no matter what age, can have an impact.

“Don’t throw your plastic bottle or crisp packets down – take them home. If you see your friend doing it, tell them not too.

“Start small and have pride in your area.”

*We’ve set up a dedicated Newport community news group on Facebook, where we will be sharing all of our stories relating to the city. The group is run by journalists from the South Wales Argus, and we want to use it to promote the good about the city, as well as continuing to highlight the issues. If you have anything you want to share, discuss or highlight – join us here.*