Drugs litter is present on the streets of every community

Alan Woods

They were found in parks, public toilets, churchyards, abandoned cars and on beaches.

The needles are mostly used by people abusing drugs and there is a risk that they will be infected with potentially life-threatening diseases such as HIV and hepatitis.

A total of 214 people, including 17 children, were stabbed or injured by the dangerous litter.

Call for action

Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Alan Woods called on local councils to do more to tackle the problem.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Nearly two-thirds have an official procedure for dealing with discarded needles, and nearly half provide telephone hotlines for the public to report discarded needles.

"But there are a lot of councils not actually providing any information to either legitimate or illegitimate drug users.

"Then the needles are found on the streets."

Discarded needles

A Sheffield cleaner reportedly found 2,000 needles in a public toilet in just 12 months 93% of North East councils found needles in parks and playing fields

In all, 239 councils (just over half) responded to the survey. Nearly 90% had received reports of needles being found in their area in the last three years.

Eleven councils in the south-east of England had found over 50 during that time. Two-thirds of coastal councils had found needles on their beach.

Keep Britain Tidy said overall there has been an increase in the number of staff trained in moving needles, and equipment to do so.

Staff training

Some councils had begun working with Needle Exchange groups.

Mr Woods said: "Discarded needles can carry blood borne infections such as Hepatitis B and C and HIV and while the chances of contracting the fully blown disease is low, we cannot sit around and wait for the worst to happen.

"For a start, the public needs to be better informed and it was disappointing to find so few councils displaying information on their websites as to what to do when you find a needle.

"We have to face it, drugs litter is present on the streets of every community, from the small market town to the large city, and we must get a grip on it quickly before it claims its first fatality."