FOUR PLACES in Gwent have been named in the top ten most eco-friendly places in Wales after a recent study. 

According to research carried out by Millets Outdoor Clothing, four places in Gwent have been included in their final table for the top ten most eco-friendly places across Wales, as part of a wider study into the most eco-friendly places across the UK.

In Wales, Newport was crowned the third-most eco-friendly place, with an eco-friendly score of 7.49 out of ten, only behind Swansea in second with a score of 7.98 and Cardiff in top spot with a score of 9.56. 

Three other areas of Gwent were also included in the top ten. 

Torfaen came just outside the top five in sixth place, with an eco-friendly score of 7.02, while Blaenau Gwent was seventh with a score of 6.37, and Caerphilly was in ninth place, with an overall score of 6.17 out of ten. 

As part of the research, the factors considered included the number of green spaces, annual emissions, walking trails and the number of public electric vehicle chargers. 

The survey was conducted in a bid to make the people of the UK more aware of some of the areas of natural beauty the country boasts. 

According to the research, Newport has 138 public electric vehicle chargers, while Torfaen was 65, Blaenau Gwent has 89 and Caerphilly 71. 

In terms of the number of walking trails, Caerphilly is the best of the four, with 38, closely followed by Torfaen and Newport with 32 and 31 respectively, while Blaenau Gwent has 17. 

When it comes to the number of green spaces, such as parks available, per 1000 metres, Newport tops the list in Gwent, with an average of 1.9, Caerphilly is second with 1.5 while Torfaen has 1.3 and Blaenau Gwent has 1.2. 

The final key element of the research was the annual emissions, which were considered per kilometre squared. 

In this category, Newport was the best in Gwent, with a score of 5.2, with Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent coming in with scores of 3.5 and 3.3 respectively, while Caerphilly came in fourth with a score of 2.9. 

The other areas of Wales included in the top ten most eco-friendly places were the Vale of Glamorgan, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend.