THE health of residents is being put at risk by drug addicts who are leaving their needles on the streets of Wardleworth, Rochdale.

That’s the view of a worried ward councillor after members of the public discovered around 20 needles had been dumped in Ball Street and West Street.

The needles were removed this week when the Observer contacted Rochdale Council and Councillor Farooq Ahmed hopes that more action will be taken to clean up the area.

He said: "At least 20 needles were found and this is really worrying because they were there for a few weeks.

"The needles were reported to the council so that they could be cleared away and it’s very scary to know that this is happening.

"It’s a busy area where children play and it’s worrying because people’s safety is being put at risk by these needles."

Councillor Ahmed hopes that a crackdown will now be launched to rid the streets of drugs and drug-related violence.

He added: "We know that the area has a problem and residents are very concerned about the situation.

"It’s not fair that members of the Wardleworth community are having to live with needles on their streets and something needs to be done to reassure them."

Encourage

Martin Taylor, the council’s street services manager, said: "We take all reports of needles very seriously.

"We have no recent records of complaints about Ball Street and West Street, but when contacted by the Observer we sent a team out straight away to remove the items.

"We aim to deal with such complaints within a few hours and would encourage people to contact the council on 0845 226 1800 to report issues of this nature."