Alarm over waste needles shock in Bognor

The manager of Verdant, which collects refuse for Arun District Council, said a needle injury put one of her workers through 'mental anguish'.

The employee had to undergo medical tests to see if he may have been infected by the needle which was in a rubbish bag he was handling.

"Fortunately, he was cleared," explained Laura Greenfield-Parker, manager of Verdant.

"Needle sticks are a very real danger to my staff. They wear gloves and ballistic nylon trousers but these won't stop a needle stick injury, and so we're asking residents to help us to help them."

Needles can transmit a number of diseases, including potentially-fatal hepatitis and HIV.

Paul Beckerson, who is part of the Bognor regenerational group Town Force, said needles and syringes had been picked up in streets and alleyways.

"Needles used to be rife in Hotham Park. There was one incident where we were working in somebody's garden and a three-year-old child had picked up the bottom part of a syringe. We used metal detectors to try to find the needle but didn't find it.

"It's rare we come across needles in gardens now but we always wear protective clothing such as gloves."

Town Force carries out regeneration programmes within the city, brightening up roundabouts and working on land.

The group used to be contracted to clean up needles and syringes in Morrison's car park, Bedford Street.

Councillor Paul Wother-spoon, Arun District Council's cabinet member for the environment, said:

"It is obviously extremely dangerous to place needles or any sharp objects in waste sacks, as anyone who handles these bags afterwards could be seriously injured if they unwittingly come into contact with them.

"Needles should never be put in black sacks, but only disposed of via the sharps collection service. These special yellow boxes are clearly marked for collecting old needles and are designed especially for this purpose."

Verdant and Arun District Council offer a free needle collection service, also known as sharps collection, for people who need to dispose of needles.

Residents can phone the council to arrange the service and Verdant supplies them with a robust, bright yellow plastic sharps box for collecting old needles. It then collects the sharps box on a schedule pre-agreed with the resident and the council.

Mrs Greenfield-Parker added: "It's a really simple and effective service and will go a long way to protecting our crews.

"If my staff find a needle in a black rubbish bag, they report it to me immediately.

"I then write to the householders to make them aware of our sharps collection service and to emphasise that we won't collect rubbish from that property until they've contacted us."

To request a sharps collection service, contact Arun District Council on 01903 737 754 (lines open from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday).