Shock as dirty drugs kit dumped in Ferryhill street

Glenn Taylor was walking his pet beagle close to his home in Ferryhill, County Durham, when he noticed her sniffing at something on the ground.

When he looked at what had grabbed her attention, he was horrified to discover the dog had come across discarded needles and spoons thought to have been used for illegal drug taking.

The 52-year-old said: "I was only 30 or 40 yards from my house when she was sniffing in the gutter.

"I'm quite careful about what she does because she was bad before and that might have been down to picking something up outside and eating it.

"I looked down and thought 'my god' this sort of thing shouldn't be lying about in public."

Mr Taylor immediately went home and used gloves to carefully pick up the items and put them in a plastic box, before appealing on social media for help to dispose of them responsibly.

A woman who works at a nearby medical practice was able to collect the haul and arrange for it to be incinerated.

But the news has shocked people in the town, particularly as Raby Road, where the items were found, is a busy street and not far from the King George V playing fields.

Mr Taylor said: "It looked to me like someone had thrown them out of a car window or just dumped them on the roadside.

"It is frightening really, they could be dangerous.

"I don't have young children anymore but I know how scary it would be for a parent if a child found them.

"Lots of people were angry to see what I'd found. To me, I think the people who do drugs and left them there have problems, they do what they do but should be considerate of others and more responsible.

"I hate any rubbish or littering and this is ten times worse."

Durham County Council urged people who find discarded needles or syringes not to attempt to pick them up but to report the location to the council, which aims to remove them within two hours. They will be collected in a safe storage box and disposed of with other clinical waste. Visit durham.gov.uk