A LITTLE girl collapsed in the street just hours after her hand was impaled on a used syringe at a site notorious for fly-tipping.

Eight-year-old Chantelle Louise Murray was rushed to hospital where she underwent a series of tests.

She discovered the needle in a settee which had been dumped on land off Ribblesdale Place, Bank Top, Blackburn.

And today, as Chantelle recovered at home, her parents Anthony, 32, and Tracie, 31, blasted householders who kept throwing unwanted items on to the site. They also called for the owners of the site to fence it off.

Chantelle, a pupil at St Silas' Junior School, Blackburn, found the needle on Saturday afternoon as she played with friends and took it home to her parents, who disposed of it.

But it was only after she fell ill the following morning that she admitted to her mum and dad that the needle had become stuck in the back of her hand after she found it.

Her father said: "She found the syringe and put it in an ice pop wrapper and brought it home. The next morning she was being sick, had headaches and kept having fits. Then she told us that it had got stuck in her hand.

"She seemed to get a bit better, but later in the day she just collapsed in the street when I was out walking with her. We took her to hospital and she underwent a series of blood tests. She was also given the hepatitis B injection.

"She is very pale and cannot speak properly. We are really worried about her."

Chantelle was discharged from the children's medical unit at Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn, last night .

A hospital spokeswoman confirmed that Chantelle was undergoing tests. Mr Murray added: "People keep throwing stuff on this site and it is extremely dangerous. It is a haven for kids to go and play and this could have happened to anybody's child."

Eddie Duxbury, vice-chairman of Bank Top Community Association, said: "It is getting to the point where it is not safe for children to play out. Three needles were found about 10 yards from my doorstep in Arthur Way recently. "People who own areas of land like these should be made to fence them off."

A spokeswoman for Blackburn with Darwen Council said they were unable to publicly identify the owner because of the Data Protection Act.

She said: "There is a history of fly tipping on this area of land which is privately-owned. The council has taken action on many occasions and has served the owners with nuisance abatement notices. On these occasions the landowner is given a time prescribed by law to clear the site. If he or she does not, then the council moves in, clears the land and bills the owner for the work.

"We cleared the land this weekend and we last cleared it following complaints only two months ago.

"If we have reason to suspect there may be needles or syringes then we would move in immediately to clear up and we would urge people not to touch any needles and to contact the council immediately. We have a policy of prosecuting all fly tippers and will prosecute anyone caught tipping on this or any other land in the borough."

OPINION: Page 6