Great Western Coffee Shop

Railway tracks in Ammanford which were strewn with rubbish have been cleared after a campaign by a local councillor.

Network Rail cleaned up the line near the Great Western pub in Station Road, after the company was contacted by the Evening Post.

"They have had a fight on their hands with this, and we have had a clear victory," said Ammanford town councillor Wendy Evans, who was first to highlight the issue.

After raising the issue with Network Rail and the Post, Mrs Evans returned to find the area had been cleared.

"They must have cleared it sometime last week," she said. "Let's hope it does not go back to what it was."

Mrs Evans ^ exasperated by what she considered was a lack of action by Network Rail ^ offered to clean up the line herself. But she claims she was told by an employee of the company who was visiting the area that police would fine her ^1,000 if she trespassed onto the tracks.

After being contacted by the Post, a spokesman for Network Rail said: "Network Rail is committed to keeping the railway as free from litter as possible. We are aware of the need for a clear-up at this location and will be removing the rubbish at the earliest opportunity."

Just days later all the rubbish on that section of line had been cleared.

Before this, Mrs Evans had said for some time that she had despaired at the state of that section of the railway, which forms part of the Heart of Wales route into Mid Wales.

"The rubbish is accumulating," she said before the line was cleared. "And to think it is on the Heart of Wales line ^ it's awful. A gentleman came all the way out from England and I showed him the state of the line. He told me if I so much as put my foot onto the line the police could fine me ^1,000."