A TOWN council is considering opening its ancient wells to aid thirsty walkers.

Last week the Welsh Government made an announcement that walkers on the Wales Coastal Path will soon be able to refill their water bottles for free under a plan to tackle plastic waste.

The 870-mile route has been chosen for the first stage in a drive to make Wales a “refill nation”.

Towns, villages and traders will be urged to join in, with refill points identified by stickers and an app.

Environment minister Hannah Blythyn said plastic waste had a “devastating” effect on the marine environment.

Communities and businesses with free drinking water available will be invited to take part in the scheme over the next 12 months.

“Wales is the first country in the world to have a dedicated footpath that stretches the entire coastline,” Ms Blythyn said.

“We as a government are very much looking forward to working with the communities along these 870 glorious miles to curb the use of single-use plastic.”

Keen to participate in the environmentally-sound scheme, Cllr Ywain Myfyr discussed the idea of opening up Dolgellau’s old water wells for public use, even though the town is not on the coastal path.

“I’m sure we’ve all seen that Attenborough programme (Blue Planet II) and can see the need to deal with plastic pollution,” he told the town council at a meeting last week.

“Wales is starting a scheme on the coastal path where you can fill up your own water bottles and I was wondering how we can do our bit.

“In Dolgellau, we have wells. There used to be a lot around here when I was young.

“Perhaps we could revamp one of these wells and let people get free water there?

“I’m sure there’s something we can do, the water is pure, we used to live on this water for many, many years.

“We might not be able to go as far as some towns and go ‘plastic-free’ just yet but we can do something, a small contribution.

“People will be able to see that we’re trying to do something positive.”

Cllr Myfyr then stated he would be willing to clean and empty the well of rubbish if he had the rights to.

“If we continue as we are in 2050, there’ll be more plastic in the sea than fish – that’s quite a slap in the face,” he concluded. The council agreed to look into the matter and contact the relevant authorities.