AN ANGRY grandmother was shocked when her grandson found a tube of syringes while he was playing near her home.

Jean Grogan, 53, of Dover Close, Blackburn, said 12-year-old Christopher Hargreaves found about 50 syringes in a yard at a house in Romney Walk. Two of the syringes had been used.

Mrs Grogan said the occupier of the house had moved out a week ago.

She said: "He was messing around with a plastic tube, which had 'Danger' marked on the front. He dropped the unsealed tube and the syringes splattered out on to the ground.

"We had to pick them up as we could not have just left them there. This has got to stop as we don't even know who's used them, or what they've been used for. We could have caught anything from them."

"Christopher found them in a back yard where there is a lot of rubbish.

"I've seen small children playing there as well and I dread to think what would happen if they had got hold of them.

"He has two younger sisters and a younger brother and it's worrying to think that these syringes have just been left lying around.

"There might be a lot more syringes in this back yard and I think something should be done about it."

Christopher's brothers and sisters are Katy, seven, Amy, five and five-month-old Robert.

Mrs Grogan handed the syringes in to Blackburn Police Station.

Inspector Peter Zsigmond said the two used syringes and about fifty unused insulin needles had now been disposed of.

A council spokesman said: "We would advise people who find syringes lying around not to touch them, and contact our Environmental Health or Housing Department who will send someone round to collect them."

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