ACTION has been taken to address the drug activity and anti-social behaviour in Faringdon Road Park after more than 200 needles were cleared from the park in one day last week.

Small business owner Paul White alerted the Adver to the issue after claiming to witness people using the area around the closed toilets to take and sell drugs.

He was also very concerned that the alarmingly high number of needles had been found in a park regularly used as a site for family-friendly events and a place in which children often play.

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said: “Our contractor secured the toilets this week and a review will now take place to determine the future of the building.”

South Swindon MP Robert Buckland said he was well aware of the problem as Paul had been in touch with him to tackle this difficult problem.

Robert said: “It’s a park that is used a lot by the community for events and we don’t want it to become a no-go area.

“There have been concerns raised about this in the past but things have escalated with the needles problem and come to a head with increased anti-social behaviour.

“Mr White contacted me as he was quite rightly concerned with the effect this was having on his business and on the local community, as was I.

“I asked Swindon Borough Council to go to the scene daily to clean it and stop people going into the building to use, or worse, deal, drugs.

“I will work with the council, local businesses and residents to make sure that we can find a solution to this problem and stop this sort of activity from taking place.”

With the toilets now boarded up, Paul is slightly happier with the situation but he insisted that there was still plenty of work to be done to improve the park.

He said: “It’s an improvement and I’m glad that the toilets have been sorted but the needles were found in the park itself.

“I just hope that they continue to regularly clean the park, including all the corners and rough ground, and don’t stop after the Children’s Fete.

“It has become an ongoing problem.”

Robert said: “The toilets have been closed for years and we need to find an alternative for them or remove them.

“Personally, I would prefer finding another use for them, whether it’s for the community or even for commercial purposes.”