A MUM-of-two says that “something has to be done” after finding a number of syringes and needles around the town centre over the last four weeks.

Jade Brewer, from Thatto Heath, says she was “disgusted” after several visits to the town centre with her two young boys resulted in her spotting discarded needles.

The Star has reported a number of complaints regarding this issue over the past months.

The 24-year-old said: “I often go to town with my two boys aged six and seven and, being that age, they are always climbing on everything and running through the grass so I was horrified to find discarded syringes.

“I have found them in various places including St Helens Central Station, outside the Hardshaw Centre and outside Poundland.

“I am just so disgusted that our children, and grown-ups too, can’t just feel safe sitting on the grass because you don’t know what is in there.

“I hate the idea of letting my children be kids and playing like that now, because they could get hurt.

“It’s just not safe and something must be done to fix this problem; I reported some of the instances but I just don’t feel like anything is done.

“I even had to follow one guy working at the station who I reported it to, because I returned the day after and it was still there, so I followed him to make sure he picked it up.”

Cllr Lisa Preston, St Helens Council’s cabinet member for community safety, said: “Unfortunately this is a problem which is unlikely to go away but we are actively targeting the problem by regularly sending our street cleansing team to known hotspot areas.

“Syringe sightings appear to be becoming more and more frequent now at random locations across the borough, so we would encourage the public to help us by reporting any needles found in public spaces or on private land to us right away.

"Our cleansing team respond to every call that they receive from the contact centre as swiftly as possible to ensure that all reported dangerous items are removed, as the safety of all our residents and visitors is of the highest priority."

To report drug paraphernalia sightings, including needles, call the contact centre on 01744 676789 or go online sthelens.gov.uk/report-a-problem.