‘What has happened to our beautiful town?’

That’s the question being asked by a group set up on social media to try to tackle littering and mess around Aberystwyth.

Caru Aber is a Facebook group set up by Jeff Jones last year and run by a small group of volunteers. They aim to help make Aberystwyth a nicer place for locals and visitors, by highlighting problems such as an increase in dog mess and discarded cigarette butts.

Their focus is to discuss any concerns or problems and try, as a community, to find solutions.

Yvonne Dryburgh from the group told the Cambrian News: “We are hoping that by working together we will be able to make a positive difference to the town.

“The amount of cigarette butts, discarded masks, dog poo and rubbish around the place is both shocking and disheartening. I have never seen Aberystwyth look so dirty and for once we cannot blame students or visitors.

“Even the road verges on the way into Aberystwyth are strewn with litter, including plastic bags hanging from trees, discarded tyres and full black bin bags.”

The group are concerned about the impact the littering will have.

Yvonne added: “Litter can attract rats, affect wellbeing and reduce or even destroy the pride that we have about living in Aber. It’s unsightly and a danger to domestic pets and our wildlife.

“Furthermore, neglected areas can also be a potential breeding ground for other sorts of antisocial behaviour; so, this is a serious problem that can affect everyone.

“Shifting the blame or passing the buck isn’t going to help the problem; neither is burying our head in the sand. It’s not someone else’s problem it is a problem that we all need to address. For once, can Ceredigion County Council, local businesses and the people of Aber unite to help clean up the town?”

If anyone has any positive ideas or suggestions on how the community can tackle this problem, they can contact Caru Aber on Facebook.

“Can we please all help play a part in making the town we live in a clean and beautiful place again?” Yvonne pleaded.

Projects the group are working on include posters they will ask takeaway services to put up reminding customers can dispose of their litter responsibly.

Caru Aber also organises regular litter picks, which will start up again after lockdown.

They will also focus on bin days.

“We have noticed an increase in the amount of litter around the town and we want to highlight this problem and come up with ways to combat it,” Yvonne said. “It seems that people putting out their rubbish early is one of the main problems as ripped bags of rubbish are being strewn around the streets.

“We are hoping that by making people aware of the problem and educating them on the dangers rubbish can cause, they will dispose of their rubbish responsibly.”