Chris Gregory, a grave digger and GMB union shop steward at the Northumberland County Council, told Berwick Town Council on Monday that there are about 10 'hot spots' in the area where heroin users discard used needles into public areas.

He also said that a seasonal worker employed by the county council was pricked in the leg by a hypodermic needle while strimming grass at the lily ponds, near Berwick railway station, in August this year.

The man now faces a two-year wait to see if he is free from blood-borne infections, such as Hepatitis C, after the needle was thrown into the air by the petrol strimmer.

Mr Gregory expressed concern that areas such as the lily ponds, Tommy the Miller's Field, and Tweedmouth Parish Church cemetery were frequently used by heroin users and were where hypodermic needles were often found by council staff.

He said GMB representatives had met council bosses and health and safety staff in early September at the lily ponds to discuss ways of minimising the risk to council staff employed in cutting grass and hedges in Berwick, but added that since then there has been no progress resulting in overgrown hedges and no risk assessment undertaken.

Mr Gregory said discussions had taken place at the same time regarding installing lighting in problem areas to deter drug users, but said nothing had materialised.

He added: "If we can be seen to be doing something, then if someone is pricked next year at least we can say we were trying our best. It is never going to solve the problem though."

Mayor of Berwick, Coun Flora Simpson said: "This is a very serious situation that must be dealt with as soon as possible.

"On behalf of the town council, I can say you have our full support."
Coun Isabel Hunter said she would take the matter up at the county council, and Coun Brian Douglas added: "As the representative of Berwick North I have never received complaints on this matter but I would like to get the information and certainly it would be taken forward."

Insp Martin Baylis, of Berwick police, said: "It goes without saying that you will have our support, but my concern is that you say there are 10 'hot spots' that we've not been made aware of. If people don't report it we don't know where it is happening."

Speaking to the Advertiser, he added: "We deal with very few reports of discarded needles. If a syringe is found and is an immediate danger to the public, we will remove it and take it to our sharps box.

"We work closely with the council to ensure that such equipment is swiftly and safely disposed of and we would remind members of the public that they should not attempt to dispose of any suspicious items themselves, and should instead contact the police or local authority."

Later, speaking to the Advertiser, Mr Gregory said that he was concerned the public were also at risk as well as council workers from the discarded needles.

He feared that if the needles were not cleared over the period when grass cutting ceased, areas would be 'awash' with them come March when cutting resumes.

This would then pose an even greater risk to staff and the public as the needles could fly into the air when the grass was cut again.

Mr Gregory added that during the past year, seasonal workers employed in cutting hedges and grass were not supplied with full protective clothing, which had led to the incident in August.

He said this had been raised with council bosses, but staff were told that the protective gear was only available for full-time staff, although all staff will be supplied with protective equipment next year.

He also expressed concern that council workers in Berwick had not been supplied with sharps boxes despite being promised them in September, with only one box making it to Berwick from a supply in Alnwick.

Any staff finding discarded needles were supposed to contact their superiors, who would send a street cleaning team with sharps box to clear up the needles.

In response to the concerns, a county council spokesperson said that they are aware of the situation in Berwick and are treating it very seriously.

She said: "We have put a number of systems in place to ensure the safety of our staff and have consulted with the unions and health and safety training officers.

"Staff have been issued with a 'sharps prevention leaflet' to raise awareness of how to handle sharps safely, together with protective trousers, risk assessments and a safe working code of practice. There are also posters in all the council depots providing advice and guidance.

"We have also been working closely with our partners in the Berwick area to identify and address the local problem areas and will be issuing sharps boxes to staff imminently."