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A crackdown on abandoned shopping trolleys in Newport should be strengthened to ensure the city’s watercourses do not become blocked and a flood risk, a councillor has warned.

Newport City Council adopted a new abandoned trolley policy last year and charges supermarkets £100 to return each trolley that is recovered from public land.

Cllr Andrew Sterry has long called for more action to remove trolleys dumped in streams and drainage channels around his Lliswerry ward, and believes the council’s current policy has created “a gap in responsibility”.

A cabinet member said the council is “committed to tackling” the issue and will work with other agencies “to ensure mutual understanding and prompt action”.

The current policy does not cover trolleys thrown into the city’s reens and other watercourses, and states responsibility for those areas lies with the national environment agency Natural Resources Wales NRW).

Writing to a council cabinet member, Cllr Sterry said the agency had told him the matter “is not within the remit of NRW and needs to be dealt with by yourselves at Newport Council”, however.

He has warned the “gap” in responsibility for trolleys in waterways must be closed “to ensure residents are protected from avoidable flood risk”.

In response, Cllr Yvonne Forsey, the cabinet member responsible for environmental matters, said the “primary responsibility for removal of trolleys from watercourses sits with the riparian landowner” – referring to the banks of waterways – “but NRW has a duty to act on main rivers if there is a flood risk, or in reens or drainage networks under their direct management”.

She also warned the council “cannot assume responsibility for recovery operations” if other parties “fail to act” – owing to lack of resources and the costs involved.

Cllr Forsey said it would be “unfair to utilise council funds, derived from Newport residents, to compensate for the inaction of the responsible agencies or owners”.

Following the exchange, Cllr Sterry said he welcomed news of the talks, but the issue “unfortunately still leaves a clear operational gap regarding abandoned trolleys in reens and local watercourses”.

He warned the trolley policy “appears reactive rather than preventative” and should include a “practical” way to escalate incidents in areas at risk of flooding.

“Residents living alongside these drainage channels are not concerned with which organisation is technically responsible,” said Cllr Sterry. “They rightly expect action to be taken where there is a potential flood risk.

“Given the immediate concerns raised locally, I will now arrange for the abandoned trolleys to be removed myself if Newport City Council is not prepared to act directly in this instance.

“Preventing avoidable flooding and protecting residents must come before agencies disputing responsibility.”