Residents on a town estate are demanding action after young children found needles discarded by drug users.
The land off Monks Lane, to the rear of Underdale Road, has come under scrutiny in recent weeks amid claims squatters are living in an abandoned shed and stealing items to furnish it.
Charles Johnson, 83, who has lived in Underdale Road for around 30 years, told the Chronicle he had been approached by a young girl who said she had found some needles in the undergrowth behind his garden fence.
He said: “I was doing work at the bottom of the garden and I heard the kids playing so I got up the ladder to take a look and a little girl of only about ten or 11 said ‘Look what I’ve found, some needles’ and I said ‘For God’s sake don’t touch the darn things’. I’ve always had kids playing up here, but I never expected anything like that, it made me feel disgusted.”
And another resident who did not wish to be named said she had been left feeling at risk after a fence panel and metal gate were stolen from the bottom of her garden recently.
She claims they were later found close to the shed where the squatters are believed to be living.
Shropshire councillor Miles Kenny said he had received reports from residents that three squatters had been living with their dogs on the land off Monks Lane for the past couple of months.
The news comes just days after a member of the public raised the alarm after a needle was discovered on the rockery next to the public toilets in Old Potts Way.
Ward councillor Jo Jones said the toilets had been a trouble spot for a long time.
She said: “Although there are no houses round there, a lot of people walk and catch the bus by them which isn’t very safe. Tourists to the town also get dropped off by them and isn’t doesn’t represent the town in very good light when they see needles.”
A spokesperson for Shropshire Council said officers from the council’s street scene team visited the site immediately to remove the needle.
If anyone sees any needles they should contact the council on 0345 678 9006, where the matter will be treated with urgency.
West Mercia Police were unavailable to comment.
By Charlotte Hester