YELLOW fish have appeared near drains in Caldicot to highlight the damage caused by pouring oil and paint into sewers.

Local police and councillors joined volunteers from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association and Keep Wales Tidy to help combat poor water quality in the Nedern Brook.

They worked in three teams to stencil yellow fish symbols on drains and hand out hundreds of leaflets at the Severn Bridge industrial estate, in the town centre and nearby streets.

Thomas Ward-Jackson of Keep Wales Tidy said: "Yellow Fish aims to highlight the damage caused by pouring oils, paints, solvents, chemicals or dirty water down highway gullies or surface drains.

"These drains will ultimately enter watercourses and pouring waste liquids down drains can seriously affect your local environment."

Caldicot mayor Jim Higginson, town councillors Alan Davies, Ron Stewart and Pauline Watts joined community support officer Ruth James and the young volunteers from Newport.

Councillor Higginson said: "People were asking what it was about and that's the best thing about it.

"We could explain that there is too much oil and effluent going into the storm drains that shouldn't be. They say "I never thought of that."

Councillor Davies added: "It's been excellent – we had really good conversations about all sorts of things, it was a very worthwhile activity."

Volunteer group leader S Baqi said: "We are grateful for the help from Keep Wales Tidy and the Environment Agency in helping us to do work according to our Islamic edict which is the very basic fact that we need to look after our neighbourhood and environment."