THE mother of a five-year-old boy from Pinehurst has spoken of her anger after her son stepped on a dirty needle in a public park.

Lewis Jenkins spent 11 hours in Accident and Emergency after the incident, which happened on Saturday evening as he was playing with friends by woodland at the Tovey Road Park.

Lewis’ mum, 20-year-old Abigail Jenkins, described the moment that Lewis came running in having had a needle go through his trainer and into his foot.

“You see these stories about people getting stuck by needles and you never think it would happen to anyone you know, let alone your own child,” she said.

“He didn’t understand what was happening, he was confused – he’s only five.

“It’s not just that it was Lewis either – the other kids round here that he was playing with are like family too. It could have been any of them.”

Fearing that her son could have been infected by an unknown illness, Abigail phoned for medical advice.

She was told to go straight to hospital where Lewis would end up spending the next 11 hours.

He had to have an x-ray to check that no part of the needle had become detached inside his foot, doctors also had to send for specific injections all the way from the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

He was vaccinated against illnesses including Hepatitis C as a precautionary measure and will have to return to hospital on another two occasions in the coming months for further jabs.

While Lewis has rebounded as young children do, Abigail is still angry at whoever dumped the needles out in the open.

“I was really worried when it happened but now it’s just anger, whoever left them there could have given my son all sorts of diseases.”

When she went to have a look at the area in question, Abigail found yet more needles.

She phoned the police who got on to the council.

“The council came out really quickly to have a look,” she said. “The guy who was collecting them said he had been doing the job for two years and it was the most he had ever found in one place.

“There were so many – I’ve been telling other parents round here and they’re shocked and disgusted.

“Some have said they heard that other needles have been found in Pinehurst too, it’s just not right.”

Swindon Borough Council confirmed that one of their staff came and collected around 30 needles from the site – they remarked that in their experience, 30 was quite a lot in one place.

The Swindon Drug and Alcohol Treatment Service on Sanford Street offers a safe needle exchange facility.