At the sharp end of drugs clean-up op

Swindon Council is installing the bins this month at the rear of Swindon Druglink, adjacent to Davis House in Corporation Street, near Cavendish Square and Carfax Street.

Last year, Swindon Services had to deal with more than 5,500 carelessly discarded needles.

Needles have been found in parks and play areas, and the problem has become so bad that some public toilets have been temporarily closed by the council.

The syringes can pose a serious health risk, particularly to children, and they cause considerable concern to the public.

The safety disposal project came about after a request from the street wardens who carry out community safety patrols in Parks and Walcot who, over the last 10 months, have collected more than 500 needles themselves.

The bins, which are black and tough enough to take the sharp objects, will make it easy for drug mis-users to dispose of needles and other debris responsibly and is just one of a range of measures being taken to reduce the harm that drug abuse causes to the community.

Jane Leaman, Swindon Primary Care Trust's director of public health, said: "These bins will provide an invaluable measure to protect the public against injury from inappropriately discarded needles.''

The £1,000 cost of installing the bins, and the annual £3,000 cost of emptying and incinerating clinical waste, will be met from Swindon's Communities Against Drugs grant.

Glenys Armstrong, 40, Drug and Alcohol Action Team Manager, said: "The bins have been installed in places where Swindon Council cleansing staff have found needles unsafely deposited, and they give people the opportunity to dispose of any unsafe syringes.

"There is always the risk of transmission of infection from any discarded needle and the funding has come from a grant to help communities to resolve the immediate issues of drug use."

Swindon has been estimated to have 2,000 registered drug users, using heroin, crack cocaine, amphetamine or steroids.