OFFICIALS are set to clean up the side of the River Orwell in Ipswich after drugs paraphernalia and empty bottles of alcohol were found by The Star.

Ipswich Star: Rubbish, sleeping bags, and evidence of drug taking near the Riverside Walk in Ipswich.Rubbish, sleeping bags, and evidence of drug taking near the Riverside Walk in Ipswich. (Image: Archant)

There was also evidence that people had been sleeping rough in the area, with old sleeping bags and blankets apparently abandoned in clearings behind bramble thickets.

We were alerted to the dangers lurking just feet from the popular Riverside Walk by Carolynne Maclachlan who found the rubbish while walking her dog.

She said: “Whilst walking our mastador dog down the river path the other day, we came across a so-called beauty spot with an iron cast statue in the centre in the shape of a military wagon.

“Our dog had only been with us for three weeks, but this seemed like a nice place to allow him to sniff about.

“We walked him about a little and in no time at all he had sniffed out a hypodermic needle. We were beside ourselves with worry. We kept him on his lead and decided to investigate the area ourselves.

“Upon our search we found sleeping bags, beer cans, countless cider bottles and more needles than I cared to count at the time.

“Something needs to be done about this, only five minutes walk away children use the local skate park, and we as adults were shocked to find such horrifying items merely feet away from a public walkway.

“We found a den near the path – although the worst of the rubbish was out of sight from people walking alongside.”

A spokesman for the borough said the Greenways project and park rangers would be told about the potentially dangerous items found there and would aim to clear it up as soon as possible.

Are you worried about potentially dangerous rubbish in public places? Write to Your Letters, Ipswich Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail starletters@archant.co.uk