Needle nightmare (From Barry And District News)

Needle nightmare

A FRIGHTENED family have vowed never to set foot on the Knap beach again, after their toddler nearly picked up a junkie's hypodermic needle.

Local couple, Julie Harris and Gerry Thomas, are still reeling from the shock of finding two-year-old Dion playing inches away from the dirty syringe.

The distraught mum explained how the family made the grim discovery, as they were casually strolling along the pebbles, on the afternoon of Friday, August 9.

Julie, 27, told the News: "Dion loves coming here. He walks along picking up pretty coloured pebbles that catch his eye. I never think anything of it, because he drops them as soon as he sees a prettier one.

"But last Friday, as he bent down to pick up a stone, Gerry yelled out for me to grab him."

Just six inches away from Dion's hand was a dirty syringe with a needle attached. Gerry, 32, said: "I was walking a bit away from Dion and Julie, but as I glanced at him I saw something orange near his hand. I immediately shouted.

"What is even worse is that when we looked around, there were three or four syringes, some with needles attached lying on the stones."

The distressed dad, added: "If he'd been hurt by a needle, I don't know what we would have done. Imagine the worry we would have had waiting to see if he'd contracted anything."

The couple, from Stewart Road, often take Dion for a stroll on the pebbly beach, but Julie insists she will never take him there again.

She said: "I've always thought the Knap was a clean place to bring my son, but we'll be finding somewhere else to take him from now on."

Gerry added: "We went back to the beach later that day, to see if we could find the needles again, because we didn't want to leave them there. But I could only see one syringe left, which made me worry even more.

"If the needles are being lost under the pebbles, how many people are going to be at risk from what they can't see?"

Barry police have been informed of the incident.

A spokesman told the News: "We are not aware of a specific problem existing in this location, but of course we will be monitoring the situation. We ask anyone who may see drug-taking in this area to contact the police station in Barry on 01446 734451, as soon as possible."

The Vale of Glamorgan Council also urged locals to be vigilant. A spokesman said: "The local authority deplores this very anti-social behaviour, which, thankfully, is not a common occurrence.

"We urge anyone discovering this sort of item to contact us immediately, so the situation can be dealt with."

The number to call is 029 2067 3000.