Nearly one million needles were handed out to drug users across North Wales last year shocking figures have revealed.
More than a quarter of those were in Wrexham during 2015/16, where many have ended up on the streets.
It has sparked concerns the town is facing a major problem with ‘drug litter’.
Wrexham county has a population of about 135,000, which works out as nearly two needles for every person.
For 2015/16, 254,453 were issued in Wrexham, 209,753 in Gwynedd , 163,022 in Flintshire, 135,792 in Denbighshire , 100,460 in Conwy and 82,148 on Anglesey , totalling 945,664 for North Wales.
And the figures, which where were presented to a Wrexham council scrutiny committee today, showed the numbers of needles handed out to drug users for illicit use, has risen by 25% across North Wales since 2013/14.
The vast majority are given out by pharmacies as part of a programme to stop the potential spread of diseases should needles be shared among drug users.
But today Wrexham councillors at the scrutiny committee, agreed to draw up an action plan to deal with the growing ‘drug litter’ around the town, which is endangering the public, creating no-go spots for people and blighting the town.
Drug-related litter includes needles, foils, swabs, spoons, plastic bottles and cans, discarded clothes, mattresses, other belongings, faeces, vomit and urine.
The issue has been in the media spotlight in Wrexham recently, with reports of makeshift camps , squalid conditions and needles found scattered around the town.
Cllr Carol O’Toole, who chaired a task and finish group to examine the issue, said: “We are all aware of the problems of discarded needles and drugs litter are causing.”
She added: “Substance misuse and the problems that cause it is an exceedingly complex problem”.
A report to the scrutiny committee said there were “effects on communities’ morale, public perception of crime and community safety in certain wards” which also resulted in reduced opportunities for adults and children to use parks and public spaces.
Some councillors were concerned needles were handed out with on controls on how many and no way of identifying where they were issued.
Councillors agreed to back a plan to tackle the issue.
It included lobbying the Welsh Government and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board for more funds to clean up ‘drug litter’ and a bid to the Substance Misuse Area Planning Board for extra cash to tackle the problem.
Councillors also want to set up a “single point of responsibility” to co-ordinate action, have greater co-operation between agencies to analyse “hotspots”and more ways for the public to report discarded syringes.
Cllr O’Toole added: “Some of the hotspots are too big for Streetscene to deal with quickly and effectively and we might need to bring in an outside cleaning agency.
“We need to deal with hotspots and clean them up quickly, this is very important.”
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-wales-drugs-users-given-11988612
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