HOUSEHOLDERS in Looe are being urged to dispose of waste responsibly after an unused batch of anti-malarial tablets were spotted along with other rubbish in the street this week. Town Councillor Dave Welch, who lives in West Looe, took these photographs of the litter in his road on Monday. He says that seagulls make short work of ordinary plastic bin bags which are put out for collection and that rubbish is often strewn around, both before and after the bin men come. ‘Not only is the resulting mess unsightly and unhygienic, but it can be dangerous,’ he said. ‘These three strips of unused anti-malarial tablets were found lying by a seagull-ransacked refuse bag. ‘It’s too horrible to contemplate what would have happened if a small child had found these tablets and thought they were sweets.’ Cllr Welch is encouraging all residents in Looe to make use of reuseable seagull-proof bags. The bags are relatively cheap and can hold up to three normal bin bags of refuse, he says. The NHS says that all unwanted medication should be taken to the chemist for disposal. ‘Never throw unused or expired medicines in the rubbish bin or flush them down the toilet,’ said an NHS spokeperson. ‘Children could take the medicine from the bin, and medicines that have been flushed down a toilet could end up in the drinking water system or harm the environment. Take unwanted medicines to a pharmacy, where they can be disposed of safely.’