Newport residents are upset by disused needles littered

An anonymous resident shared a picture of disused needles on the public pathway in a local Facebook group.  

Another resident, Dionne Jordan, took a photograph of the same drug needles while on a walk over the Southern Distributor Road (SDR). 

The needles on the public pathway (Image: Dionne Jordan)

Dionne Jordan said: “I took the same picture yesterday as I was walking with my disabled son, lucky I had hold of his hand (as) they were everywhere down there.” 

In the comment section, Paul Murphy, founder of Pride in Pill said he planned to head down to the area to safely clean them up.  

However, Paul said when he arrived at the Southern Distributor Road (SDR) bridge this morning, the needles had already been cleaned up 

A decline in needles/sharps

In 2014, the litter-picking group, Pride in Pill, was born when Paul Murphy and Margaret Morgan had a conversation. 

The council had stopped a bus service running along Commercial Road in Pillgwenlly.  

They talked about the amount of litter along Commercial Road and other streets in the Pill area.  

The pair decided something should be done to tackle the litter in the area and have been carrying out litter pick events ever since. 

In recent years, the group was picking up over 2,000 needles within a couple of months, however, Paul says the situation has improved.  

The group litter pick near the Sainsburys (Image: Paul Murphy)

In 2024, the group only picked up 200 needles while out on their litter picks, said Paul. 

Paul Murphy said: “It is the second time I have had reports of it there, but sharps and needles have gone down a lot - it is a lot better.  

“We have only picked up 200 needles this year which for us is a low number. 

“In past years we were picking up 2,000 needles within a couple of months, so that’s 200 from thousands.  

“We did a clear up on the weekend at the old Sainsburys and only picked up six needles.”