A PENHILL dad has hit out after his young son found needles strewn behind a town centre car park.

Ian Baker was out shopping with his 10-year-old son, when his boy made the discovery.

Hidden behind what appeared to be a generator like structure in the Granville Street car park was a carpet of used needles and other drug paraphernalia.

“I feel really angry,” said Ian, 37.

He was out with his son to give his son a chance to spend pocket money left over from a family holiday.

But the Penhill man was not expecting to find needles hidden just yards from a mother-and-baby parking area behind busy Havelock Street.

Ian said: “He [my son] knew straightaway what it was. But if it was found by any younger child, I don’t know…” 

He took pictures of the drugs and reported it to Swindon Borough Council via social media.

“Those pictures – what they show isn’t overnight drug use. That’s been there for a period of time,” he said.

The images show what appear to be used needles, syringes, opened syringe packets and drinking can lids that show signs of having been used to melt drugs.

When the Adver visited the site yesterday the used syringes seem to have been cleared up. All that remained were empty syringe packets, burnt can lids and bottles of “water for injections” – a sterile solution used to dilute injectable medicines and drugs.

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said: “Where discarded drug-related implements such as syringes and needles are discovered on public land, the council will remove them as soon as possible.

“However, this discovery was on private land and as such, is not a Council responsibility, therefore we have notified the landowner so that they can take action as soon as possible.

“We would like to thank the gentleman concerned for reporting this issue to us. Anyone who finds any needles should notify the landowner if possible, or call the council on 01793 445501.”

Conversations had been had about the siting of needle exchange bins in town, a council spokesman said.

He urged people to report drug related litter to the council’s StreetSmart team.

In June, the Adver reported on drug taking in the Whalebridge Car Park, off Fleming Way. Town centre worker Michelle Reeves caught drug users injecting themselves in the stairwell of the modern car park.

Bob Wright, Labour councillor for Central Ward, praised the speedy clear up of drug paraphernalia where it causes a danger to others.

But he stressed that drug taking was an issue affecting the whole town – and not isolated to the town centre.

Coun Wright said: “You go across the town and you will find places where drugs are being used.”

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: “We would continue to encourage members of our community to report any drug activity in their area. We will always act on information we receive.”