THE family of a boy whose shoe was pierced by a discarded needle today labelled the drug-users who left it "scum of the earth".The boy trod on the needle as he played with friends among trees on the edge of Felixstowe.

By Richard Cornwell

THE family of a boy whose shoe was pierced by a discarded needle today labelled the drug-users who left it "scum of the earth".

The boy trod on the needle as he played with friends among trees on the edge of Felixstowe.

His family later visited the site and found a number of used needles lying on the ground.

The eight-year-old boy has had a hepatitis injection and a test for Aids purely as a precaution, though doctors believe his foot may not have been pierced by the needle.

The youngster's grandmother said: "He didn't think anything of it at the time. But he was with his parents passing the place in the car and said, 'That's where the needle went into my foot'.

"His parents were very worried and took him to the doctor and then the hospital, who said he was fine and had been a very lucky little boy.

"His mother is very upset about this. She says the people who do these things are the scum of the earth – they know children play in this area and they should go and take their drugs somewhere else.

"If they want to inject themselves with this muck they should be responsible and take their needles and dispose of them properly. It is disgusting.

"You want to know that your children can play safely in these places.

"People walk their dogs through that area every day, too.

"I have heard of a number of other places in Felixstowe where these needles have been found. I can't understand why they have to do it in public."

Her grandson was taking a short cut through the path from the Candlet Road roundabout to Taunton Road when the incident happened.

Chairman of Felixstowe Safety Committee Doreen Savage has asked Suffolk Coastal District Council to carry out a thorough clean-up of the area as soon as possible.

Police have warned people not to touch needles or pick them up.

Rex Sheppard, chairman of the Felixstowe Local Action Group for Drugs and Alcohol Misuse, said people should cover any needles they find and report the matter to Suffolk Coastal council, which would collect them very quickly.

He said the council's environmental health department was currently carrying out a three-month mapping exercise to identify "hot spots" for needles so that they could be removed and areas kept clean.