A DRUGS crisis sweeping across the country is hitting Swindon so hard that junkies are discarding needles at a rate of 6,000 a year.

That is the warning from a veteran councillor who says that more needs to be done to combat the scourge of drug-related litter that is plaguing our parks and streets.

Over the past year, the Adver has reported on countless discoveries of uncapped syringes and other paraphernalia.

Some have been found lying in town centre street corners, in car parks or in bushes. Others have been discovered by children as they played innocently in parks close to their homes or by those tending to the graves of war heroes in Radnor Street Cemetery.

Pleading with his council colleagues to take action before something disastrous happened, Lib Dem leader Stan Pajak said: “We’re in the middle of a drugs crisis – not just here but across the country.

“Swindon, like many towns, is suffering accordingly with shockingly high rates of drug use.

“Drugs are associated with many things – whether that’s the effect they have on users, on families, on crime or on health. But there is also the very real issue of what happens to drug-related litter such as needles, syringes and swabs.

“Such litter presents a real health risk to the public and to the council employees who have to pick it up. Discovering these items can cause fear, upset and anxiety. That is as well as causing physical injury.

“We need to take action about it. I was amazed to find out from the officers of the borough that they’re picking up 500 needles a month.

“500 needles. That’s a rate of 6,000 a year. They say it is double the rate of the past year. It’s just incredible.”

Swindon does have a needle exchange facility, located in the town centre and operated by drug and alcohol treatment provider CGL. Some pharmacies also offer needle deposit boxes and a needle exchange service.

But that has not stopped the significant increase in drug-related litter being discarded and many, including Coun Pajak, believe a new approach is needed.

He has secured the support of his fellow councillors in calling for the council’s scrutiny committee to take a closer look at the issue.

Among his suggestions is a move to introduce more sharps bins, located in key positions such as public toilets and other drug-taking hotspots - such systems have been shown to be more cost effective and considerably safer for those tasked with cleaning up.

“It’s an approach used in many cities in this country and across the world,” he said.

Cathy Martyn, the cabinet member responsible for public safety, said that she had recently attended a meeting of Swindon’s Community Safety Partnership where an action plan to look at a multi-faceted approach to tackle needle waste, and a wider substance misuse strategy, were being put together.

Both reports are expected to go before the council’s scrutiny committee in due course.