A DAD picked up 17 used syringes from a children's playground after a police community support officer and a council worker refused to remove them.
Chris Chadwick, 37, feared for the safety of his son Lewis, two, and eight-year-old stepson Oliver Bailey, as they played at Dane Hill Close, Disley, near Stockport.
He immediately alerted the council but the park was left open for children to play in.
The following day, a police community support officer and Cheshire East council worker turned up but neither would pick up the needles as they had to follow procedures that `do not expose them to danger'.
A furious Mr Chadwick, who was not wearing protective boots or gloves, picked up the needles and put them in a box.
The playground has now been closed so it can be fully checked and cleaned up.
Mr Chadwick, an enginering consultant from Disley, said: "I have no problem with the PCSO - he was there to stop anyone going in the park - but the council is a disgrace.
"The council representative said he didn't have the correct footwear for such a job. What did he turn up expecting to do?
"If a parent or child stood on one of those needles, there is a risk they could have caught hepatitis or even Aids."
Disley parish councillor Gaynor Marshall, who was in the park at the time, said: "I'm unable to comment on what was said, but council employees can get into disciplinary issues if they do not follow procedures."
A spokesman for Cheshire East council said it had to carry out a risk assessment before taking action.
Cheshire police said its officers were aware of the dangers of discarded needles and normally notified the council.
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Its the responsibility of the council, the shower of.
AARRGGHH risk assesments, health and safety, flipping wrong footwear - get a grip people! What about sense? There is far too much of all this rubbish nowadays - and I am not talking needles here. Why could this council worker not have done what the dad did? it was his job - wrong shoes or not!!!
The safety of small children doesnt seem to be a priority to anyone where the local environment is concerned except people who have decided to take it into their own hands and work together to keep it clean and safe.Quite a number now if you read local papers.
As teensoften hang around playgrounds over the weekend they are often covered with broken glass,cans,bottles burned out wheelie bins and a variety of sticks and stones.
Ive watched children trail through all this on the way to nursery.
I think public areas used by small children should be cleared early on Mon morning,especially around schools which are particularly bad and have been used as a dog toilet all weekend.
The first fires of the year in local woodland yesterday.T he sun comes out and were off again.Time for anything lying around or wheelie bins to be fired.
The public can help by removing anything,sticks ,stones bottles and anything that can be used to injure others outside their own property.
What a disgrace. Ok so the council have to follow proceedures and wear the corrective clothing but why was this park not closed until it was safe to go in?? Yet again our CHILDREN are put at risk rather than adults who, if used a bit of common sense, woudld've come prepared for what had been reported.
Disgrace. Also a disgrace that the little rat that decides to use a kids playground to dig smack, cant even take his dirty needles away. Im seething as I write this. If I witnessed this on 'my watch', I couldnt be held responsible for my actions. They would need to be on the morphine once I had my hands on the scum.
Respect and look after our little kids playparks. In America I didnt see one bit of graffiti or broken glass on any of the kids parks I took my children. We should hang our heads in shame.
I have to walk through an estate to reach work after getting off my bus. I go through a small childrens' playground which is covered in all kinds of rubbish, broken glass, sometimes a sink, a toilet or a washing machine. Every day gives a new surprise. All the bushes are now stubs after being burnt away.
This isn't 'deprivation'. It's deliberate damage, apathy and plain dirty living. Ordinary people would get together and clean it up themselves, and stop their kids/teenagers from causing it. But, there is no pride and no wish to better themselves. They don't care. I don't blame the Council for leaving it like that. You make your bed......
Dustpan and brush? Call me working class and brought up in Cas but thats all it needs.
What could be wrong in giving somebody the task of removing drug needles from parks full safety wellingtons or boots with full steel midsoles and toecaps(full safety wellies are better because they give full protection to the legs,feet and toes)and protective gloves? It doesn't cost much, and for the person doing it, it would be much safer then.
If the father was injured by his legs/feet/ankles/toes/hands being stabbed by a needle as he cleared them up the council can easily be sued for compensation because some lazy council department couldn't be bothered to send a council worker equipped with full safety wellingtons,protective gloves,and clothing to clear up the needles-that's all it would have needed to do, stuff the beaureaucracy/risk assessments etc just get someone in on the job equipped with this necessary ppe/clothing to do it!!!
You don't catch Aids, you catch HIV and it develops into aids...
If you are aware of the risks and dangers and you get a call then bring the appropriate attire with you it isn't rocket science, by going away again you are leaving people open to the dangers that you are aware of. Anybody would think the were dealing with land mines.
PCSO'S again, stare the future of policing in the face !
Civilians dressed as cops, to the untrained eye you actually believe that more police officers are on the street's but NO there not and most of the police budget has been spent on PCSO's so there's no money left for real cops.............Great Britian ?
Oh Almighty GOD, I am sure that Mr Chadwick and everyone knows that, I am sure it was a slip of the tongue, but does it matter. So he said AIDS rather than HIV. Yes, you are of course right, you don't catch AIDS, but can catch HIV which devolopes into AIDS.
I could moan that they complained about syringes, when in fact syringes themselves can be used for all kinds of things, without needles. But I understand what he meant.
My (disabled) daughter has a gastrostomy (a feeding tube in her stomach) and we use syringes all the time, but no needles.
But is that the point? No! The point is why are children's areas left in a dangerous state? That is what's important!
I agree with Anthony of Accrington, it is a common enough problem, there should be people equipped to deal with it. We have broken glass constantly in our local recreation ground, which never seems to get cleared properly. That's bad enough. But leaving used needles? That is disgraceful.
needles should have serial numbers on them, then allocated to the users,if found in public, take tough action,,,,