FOR mum Sharon Duffy a fun day out with her two daughters turned into a horrific nightmare after she saw her youngest child step on to a drugs needle.

Sharon, 34, had enjoyed an afternoon of morris dancing with daughters Ellie, 11 and Frankie, four on Sunday. But while walking back to their Parr home she was horrified when little Frankie trod on the needle on Mount Pleasant Avenue.

Sharon described the ordeal as "heartbreaking" as she had to spend hours at Whiston Hospital as her daughter was given blood tests and Hepatitis B injections.

Frankie, who is due to start at Holy Spirit Primary School in September, will now also need to have more Hepatitis B injections over the course of the next 12 months.

"It was absolutely sickening," said Sharon, a sales assistant at The Co-operative.

"We had actually just taken her for the last lot of injections last Wednesday so we had been telling her she won't have to have another as she doesn't like needles.

"So to sit with her at the hospital was heartbreaking. She's alright now and we've been back to the doctor to set up when we go back for the other injections."

Sharon, who also lives with eight-year-old son Alfie and partner Ken, explained that she first became aware of the needle after Frankie had said she thought she had something in her shoe.

"I took the shoe off and turned it upside down and then I saw the needle stuck in the bottom of it and it had pierced her sock and there was blood on the bottom of it.

"Ellie was hysterical and saying I don't want her to be hurt and I was frightened myself.

"I have seen a couple of needles lying about on the street before, it's pretty sickening.

"I have rang the council to report it and they got out straight away."

The Star had already reported in April when a four-year-old boy got a needle stuck in his foot in Carr Mill and in May when upturned needles were found on play equipment by a mother at Nanny Goat Park in Fingerpost.

When the Star contacted the local authority for comment on the incident, a council spokesman said: “We were distressed to hear about this incident.

"We are in touch with the child’s mother and have passed on our best wishes for their speedy recovery.

“The council goes to great lengths to ensure streets are cleaned regularly and all our beat sweepers are equipped with needle boxes to ensure their safe and speedy removal. All our residential streets are maintained on a regular basis.

“The council commissions a specialist needle and syringe programme for people who inject drugs with needles, syringes and other injecting equipment.

"This is provided by a number of local community pharmacies and at the specialist community treatment provider at Lincoln House.

"We also commission a household medical waste collection service that can be accessed via sthelens.gov.uk/recycling-rubbish-waste/clinical-waste/."