Dad’s warning after son finds syringe near home

Youngster discovers used needle and spoon in street

A dad has warned of the dangers of discarded drug needles after his seven-year-old son found a used syringe and spoon outside their house.

Marcus Beer, an NHS health worker who lives in Longport, Canterbury, says the drugs paraphernalia – typically used to inject heroin – was discovered by the youngster on Saturday.

Mr Beer safely picked it up and disposed of it in a sharps box at the Kent and Canterbury hospital, where he works.

He later put a warning on the Canterbury Residents’ Group Facebook page, saying afterwards: “I posted it to make people a bit more vigilant about this area and drug use.

“I personally believe that drug abuse is a medical condition, but this is not a user that is disposing needles in a safe way.

“I am NHS staff and we are trained to deal with needle stick injuries, I’m not aware that the general public are.”

Mr Beer’s actions were praised by other members of the site.

Angie Gower said: “What you did was a very good thing to do.

“Who knows if a kid had already picked it up and messed around with it with their friends. For all we know a kid might have already been stabbed with it.”

Amy Roxberry added: “My fouryear-old son picked up a used needle and we had to wait three agonising months to see if he had been affected as there was still blood in the needle.

“He was then tested every three months for a year to make sure he hadn’t contracted hepatitis B or anything. If people want to use, fair enough, but at least take your needles with you, not leave them where they can endanger others.”

City council spokesman Rob Davies said the discovery of needles or similar items should be reported. He said: “Our advice to anyone finding a syringe or similar drug paraphernalia is not to handle it, unless they have experience and know what they are doing. But it may help if it can be moved out of harms way, perhaps into the gutter, with their foot.

“Serco has an emergency response for such items and can be contacted on 0800 031 9091. Several of our public toilets also have special bins for disposing of sharps.”

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The discarded syringe and spoon found in the street in Longport