THE front page report, January 2, Right Under our Noses, raises

serious questions about Swindon Borough Council's management, maintenance and monitoring of public facilities.

Drug needles and about 30 used syringes were found, along with broken wine bottles and blankets, in a fire escape at the Fleming Way multi-storey car park.

Margaret Clark the hospital nurse who made the discovery is to be congratulated for bringing this life threatening health hazard to the public's attention.

Anybody who is prepared to inject toxic substances into their own body and thereby risk paralysis or death is likely to be incapable of considering the health and safety of other individuals.

For this very reason the council must be extremely vigilant at all of its public facilities where this type of abuse may occur.

Unaccompanied children could easily get hold of the discarded needles and accidentally puncture their skin. This may be all it takes for them to contract Hepatitis C or HIV.

The council must ask and get answers to the following questions:

How long was it since the stairwell was inspected?

Why did council staff fail to detect these serious health hazards?

Is this site cleaned regularly, if so when was it last cleaned and are there written records?

Is there a monitoring process in place together with written records?

Are inspections proactive or are they reactive and dependant on the public being vigilant?

How can this type of abuse of public facilities be prevented?

With an over inflated level of council tax and the cost of car parking in Swindon being among the highest in the country lack of funding can not be an excuse.

It seems to me that the council has been negligent by failing to have an adequate management, maintenance and monitoring process in place.

K KANE

Wroughton