The Swiss have long advocated supplying free needles to addicts

A decision to reduce the number of clean needles available to drug addicts in a north Wales town has been criticised as "a recipe for disaster".

New figures have revealed that more needles and syringes were given out in Conwy than anywhere else in Wales last year - 767,000 in total.

Carry Burton, of North East Wales Health Trust, said the high number of clean needles given to users showed Conwy was addressing the issue by trying to stop the spread of diseases associated with drug-taking, like HIV/Aids.

But she warned that the decision by pharmacists in Colwyn Bay to withdraw from the scheme because of community protests was a return to attitudes of the early 1980s.

"People are burying their heads in the sand," she said.

"They just want drug users to go off into a corner and die - a lot of it is out of ignorance.

"The reality is that people are using drugs and will continue to do so.

"There has been public concern the needle exchange scheme in Colwyn Bay would have some sort of domino effect in attracting drug users to the area, but this is totally and utterly untrue.

"We were very pleased last year when there wasn't a single incident of HIV being passed through injections, which was a terrific bonus.

It is a self-perpetuating evil which has a snowballing effect and we just can't afford to ignore it. Conwy councillor Glyn Jones

"But all it takes is for one person who has HIV to come into the area and to somewhere where there are no services for free needles and it really could be a recipe for disaster."

'Hell of a problem'

Ms Burton, a development officer for the needle exchange, said a mobile unit came to Colwyn Bay twice a week but she wanted a permanent centre.

"I sympathise with why pharmacists in Colwyn Bay have withdrawn from the scheme because they are a business at the end of the day," she said.

"Pharmacists are essential to our programme and we would struggle to cope without them."

Councillor Glyn Jones, Conwy's cabinet member for community safety represents the Eirias ward in Colwyn Bay, backed the free needle scheme.

He said Colwyn Bay faced "a hell of problem", although drug abuse was no worse in the town than any other part of north Wales.

"Drugs are a serious problem for communities in north Wales and users pull in the younger elements of society.

"It is a self-perpetuating evil which has a snowballing effect and we just can't afford to ignore it.

"We need to try and present a strong argument to get the GPs and pharmacists on board to try and address this issue."