‘Drugs’ scourge at Welsh bus station caught on camera
THESE shocking photographs claim to show evidence of the extent of drug use at a bus station.
They show people lying seemingly unconscious in flower beds and on the station floor in broad daylight.
Although there is no evidence the people shown in the pictures have taken drugs, photographs also show needles scattered on the floor, next to smeared blood.
The pictures were taken over a period of months by a bus driver who said he wanted to highlight the scale of the problem faced by passengers and workers.
Gavin Rodda works at Wrexham’s King Street station and said someone had even cut their hand on a needle and needed medical treatment as a result.
His pictures also appear to show methadone bottles and tin foil in the station toilets.
Mr Rodda said: “All of the paraphernalia pictured was within reach for a child. Some of these pictures are shocking, but it’s the reality of everyday life for the addicts that use there.
“I want people to see this and come together to find a solution to the major drug problem that Wrexham currently has.
“Is it really going to take a death of an addict inside the bus station to make a change? I hope not.”
He added: “There are needles being left in the toilets with blood by them. There are the remnants of heroin that has been smoked using tin foil. There are empty methadone bottles that were left on the back of toilets.
“Elderly passengers who use the bus station are increasingly saying that they no longer feel safe in there and they are intimidated by the groups of addicts who ask them for money.”
Mr Rodda suggested police could use an empty office there to keep an eye out.
“For a lot people, myself included, Wrexham bus station is our workplace and we feel that it is no longer safe to work in, even with the attempts that have been made to control the drug problems,” he said. “We work in a place knowing that there are people walking around carrying syringes on them which could be used as a weapon at any given moment.”
Wrexham’s Plaid Cymru chairman Marc Jones called for action to be taken to deal with drug use at the station. He said: “This should be a priority for the local authority, the health board, and the police and anybody else involved who deals with the bus station.
“There are no easy solutions but something needs to be done – it is unacceptable for the people who use the bus station or work there.
“This is a gateway to Wrexham and this what the first impression we want to give people.”
The council has set up a task force to tackle the rising tide of drug abuse in Wrexham.
Last year figures showed early one million needles were handed out to drug users across north Wales with more than a quarter of those in Wrexham during 201516.
Hugh Jones, lead member for communities and partnerships on Wrexham council, said: “Many of the pictures are old photographs and do not represent the progress being made.
“Whilst this is a problem faced by many towns and cities across the country, Wrexham has a proactive and innovative approach, combining the public space protection order with action to tackle the underlying issues of substance misuse. Wrexham town is a safe place for residents and visitors.
“Considerable progress has been made with partner organisations to reduce the amount of inappropriate and unacceptable anti-social behaviour, including being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, in the town centre.”
He also said measures such as extra security at the bus station and more rough sleeper outreach workers had been put in place.