Clean-Up Begins at Syringe-Strewn Eyesore in Sheffield City Centre. 22nd September 2017.

Discarded drug needles are among mountains of waste being cleared from a roundabout in Sheffield city centre after the squalid conditions were highlighted by The Star. Park Square Roundabout, near Ponds Forge leisure centre, was strewn with litter, including used syringes, pill packets, empty beer cans and broken glass.

The shocking state was initially revealed in videos shared with The Star this week by a member of the public concerned about the safety of homeless people he said were sleeping amid the piles of waste. Having visited to see for ourselves the mounds of filth, we contacted Sheffield Council yesterday to ask what was being done.

The council today sent a team to begin bagging up the mess, and has called on members of the public to report other grot spots.A council spokeswoman said this afternoon: “We have been cleaning the drug waste all day and will continue until it is cleared.

“We urge anyone aware of similar waste to report it to us immediately online at www.sheffield.gov.uk or by calling 0114 273 4567. We co-ordinate significant work to prevent and tackle issues around this and reports of drug waste in public places are urgently dealt with.“We encourage drug users to use needle exchange services which are provided at various sites across the city, where they can return used equipment safely. And we fund the city’s substance misuse services, which are delivered by more than 80 pharmacies, from centrally located treatment centres and via a mobile van.”

She added that more drug users than ever are seeking help for their addiction in the city.

This article is taken from The Sheffield Star website.