A concerned parent asked medics in the children’s emergency department after his young son was told by nursery staff not to pick up leaves on a trip to Queen’s Park because it is too dangerous.
He raised the issue at a special meeting about drug dealing which was held last Wednesday after several needles were found in different locations in and around the park and drug users were regularly seen using the playground toilets.
The meeting heard how organised gangs are exploiting young people – sometimes underage children – to deal drugs at the park, and how services suffering from swingeing cuts are struggling to cope with the rise in drug trafficking.
In a letter read out at the meeting, he said: “I am extremely concerned about the issue of potential sharps injuries in Queen’s Park from discarded needles from drug use.
Last week my five year-old went on an autumn class trip to the park. Ninety children on the trip were asked not to pick up leaves due to concerns about needles on the ground. This is depressing and unacceptable.